


Doctor Who Series 11B

by Ratin8tor



Series: Doctor Who Series 11B [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:34:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 44
Words: 95,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25239304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ratin8tor/pseuds/Ratin8tor
Summary: Set between Series 11 and 12 this ten episode series features the Doctor and the gang facing some of their most difficult foes ever: Daleks, Silence, Stenza, P'Ting and, most dangerously... who are the Children of Gallifrey? Why will their existence spell doom for the universe? And what price will the Doctor pay to stop them?
Series: Doctor Who Series 11B [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1828420
Kudos: 14





	1. Stop the Clocks - Episode One

"You ready boys?" asked the leader of the gang. His two accomplices nodded. The man nodded back, pressed a button on the device in his hand, and calmly walked into the bank. The three of them leisurely made their way over the counter, helping themselves to the cash found in the tills. One of the three popped into the vault, grabbing fistfuls of money and stuffing it into the bag with no real urgency. Satisfied with their haul the leader nodded, the other two men following him out of the door.

On the way out one of the men swatted away a fly, the insect hanging motionless in the air, before holding up his hand to shield himself from the raindrops suspended around them. The men had little to fear.

Crime was incredibly easy when you possessed the ability to stop time.

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Doctor Who

Stop the Clock

Episode One

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"'ere, what's happening with the TARDIS Doc?" Graham asked, holding his hands over his ears. All throughout the TARDIS an awful screeching sound could be heard, as if the traditional groaning had been turned up to eleven.

"The TARDIS doesn't want to land," said the Doctor, spread-eagled over the console so she could press six different buttons at once.

"Why don't we just go somewhere else then?" Ryan yelled.

"We need to land here," said the Doctor. "TARDIS needs a recharge, and Cardiff is the perfect place to do it."

"Are you saying we're almost out of fuel?" asked Yaz, but no one could hear her as the din grew louder, the TARDIS shaking even more.

"Sort of," the Doctor said, as the TARDIS continued to rattle and shake. The companions were torn between blocking their eyes and holding onto the TARDIS console.

"I can't take much more of this Doctor," Graham said in concern, as the TARDIS started to violently rock back and forth, the four occupants struggling to keep their balance.

The Doctor ignored the fears of her companions, instead reading the display in front of her. It was showing some weird readings, highly unusual ones, but she waved them away and focused on landing.

"Doctor!" her fam said in fear as the TARDIS felt like it was about to tear itself apart in the struggle.

"Oh come on!" said the Doctor furiously, grabbing one lever and throwing her entire weight onto it. There was an almighty rumble, and then silence.

Everyone stood, waiting for the next catastrophe, but an eerie calm echoed through the TARDIS.

"Right then," said the Doctor, beaming. "Couple of hours and she'll be good to go. Shall we have a look around?"

"Hang on, you said Cardiff?" said Graham incredulously. "I thought you'd need to go somewhere more exotic to recharge the TARDIS."

"Cardiff is very exotic," said the Doctor. "Nowhere else in the universe like Cardiff. Believe me, I've looked. Almost felt like my life revolved around it a few regenerations ago."

"Err, Doctor," said Ryan, standing by the door, looking out at the scene in front of him. "I don't think something's right."

"Don't you start with this Cardiff bashing," said the Doctor, grabbing her coat and running to the door, before pausing.

"Ah," she said. "Well, yes. This is certainly something different, isn't it?"

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"Why hasn't time restarted yet?" asked one of the three men, the most nervous of the three.

"Oh don't you worry your head about it," said the leader, watching the smoke from his cigarette slowly freeze in the air as it drifted your head about it. "I'm sure it'll fix itself in a little while. I mean it's not like this can go on forever."

"What if it does though?" asked the second of the three men, probably the smartest out of all of them.

"Quit your whining," said the leader in annoyance. "I told ya, everything will go back to normal in a bit. We just need to wait here for a bit so no one catches us."

"If you say so boss," said one of the men, throwing a glance at the other one. Despite what the boss said this wasn't a turn of events either of them were happy with. Still, the boss hadn't let them down before. Surely things would be alright soon enough.

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"This is so weird," said Ryan, popping rain drops out of the air. "How can time be frozen like this?"

"I'm not sure," said the Doctor. "I don't like it at all. The ability to freeze time like this, it requires powerful technology far beyond your race."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," said Graham, watching a fly hang in the air.

"This is Time Lord technology," replied the Doctor. "Very sophisticated technology at that. What's it doing in Cardiff in 2019?"

"Time Lord?" asked Yaz.

"My people," said the Doctor, getting out a yo-yo and playing with it.

"You've never mentioned them before," said Ryan, but the Doctor ignored him, instead focusing on the toy. She let it bounce up and down in front of her, before letting it fly forwards in front of her. Sure enough, after a moment the yo-yo froze, as if being held up by an invisible string.

"Isn't that interesting?" said the Doctor, peering at the yo-yo, slowly moving her hand out. As predicted, the moment her hand touched it it suddenly shot forward, only to stop again.

"Right fam," she said, turning to the three. "You know how I normally tell you not to touch stuff for your own safety, and you inevitably ignore me and end up being swallowed by a giant carnivorous plant?"

"That was one time!" replied Ryan in protest.

"This time I need you to actually listen to me," said the Doctor, not heeding Ryan. "Right now time is passing by incredibly slowly, so slow that it looks like it's standing still. But our personal time streams are still going as normal. In other words, we're going incredibly fast compared to everything else. So whatever do, don't touch anyone."

"Why not?" asked Yaz.

"Imagine being hit by something going the speed of a rocket," said the Doctor. "Only the thing hitting you is someone's finger. You could cause all sorts of damage as their body suddenly accelerates and decelerates at the same time."

"Don't touch anyone, gotcha," said Graham. "What about non-living things?"

"In theory they should be okay," said the Doctor. "I mean you'll have to be careful not to start any fires or anything. But what we really need to do is figure out whose causing this and how to get them to un-cause it."

"Doctor?" asked Yaz.

"What is it Yaz?"

"This bank," said Yaz. "The door's open."

"Yeah, doors do that," said Ryan sarcastically.

"Yeah, I know," said Yaz. "But there's no one around to open it. Surely if this door had just been open someone would be standing next to it?"

"Yaz you're a genius!" said the Doctor excitedly. "Glad to see you paid attention during cop training. Yes, whoever opened the door must have done so when time was frozen. Which means that they must be responsible for this."

"Well that'd explain the gaps in the rain," continued Yaz, nodding to an absence of rain drops.

"Oh I love you guys," said the Doctor. "Normally I'd have to make a fancy gizmo to do all of this. Right, so, we follow the trail and eventually we should be able to find whose behind all this."

"And then what?" asked Ryan.

"Not sure," admitted the Doctor. "It'll probably make more sense when I work out what's going on. Come on!"

With that the Doctor set off down the pathway of missing raindrops, excitedly looking around at the frozen world she found herself in. Her companions followed, likewise enjoying the unusual spectacle. It certainly wasn't something you see every day.

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"Time's still not come back boss," said one of the group, pacing nervously.

"Oh will you calm down," said the leader frustratedly, pacing around their hideout His unhealthy habit of smoking when stressed had backfired considerably, as the smoke failed to go far from where he was sitting, instead hanging around his head as a toxic cloud. He'd quickly filled his favourite areas with smoke, and was now looking for somewhere more comfortable to sit.

The smartest one of the three could tell that the boss was nervous, but that upsetting the boss was probably the worst thing to do at the moment. Instead he just continued to count the money.

"What happens if time never comes back?" asked the young one, wringing his hands.

"Well it would certainly be a problem for the universe," said an unfamiliar voice. All three crooks shot up in shock as they saw a woman standing there, beaming away. Behind her three other people milled around awkwardly.

Without a moment's hesitation all three of them had their guns out and pointed at the intruders.

"Who are you?" barked the leader. "And what are you doing here?"

"Well I'm the Doctor," said the lead woman. "This is Yaz, Ryan, Graham, and we were going to spend a relaxing afternoon seeing the sights of Cardiff but, well, this is much more interesting."

"Why aren't you frozen?" asked the smart one.

"Oh I like you," said the Doctor. "You're asking the sensible questions. But I feel like it's more important that I know why you're not frozen so that I can fix this mess."

"How did you get here?" the smart one said as a follow-up.

"In a police box," said Ryan without thinking it.

"Police?" said the nervous one, fingers trembling. Before any of them could react the man fired his gun, the bullets on a collision course right at the Doctor and her companions!


	2. Stop the Clock - Episode 2

Doctor Who

Stop the Clock

Episode Two

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Brad 'Birdie' Edwards was a simple man with a relatively simple life. He knew exactly what he was destined to be when he grew up.

As such, it was no surprise when he was in juvenile detention for attempting to steal cars at fourteen, nor when he kept making repeat appearances to the point where it became a second home. Better than his actual home, at any rate.

It was there that Brad took on the name 'Birdie', a wonderful play on the fact that he was just a jailbird. It was suppose to be an insult, thrown at him by jailers who cared more about a paycheck than their duty of care. But Brad kept it, much like the gangsters he had seen in the films, and made it his own.

He was never the most successful of criminals. Any gains he made were quickly lost, and he found himself going in and out of jail the same way an overly-spoilt child might pay a visit to the sweet shop.

It was while he was on the inside that he met Arthur Leverton, a man who had made a somewhat successful career out of his criminal activities, but had recently been caught in a heist with men he realized were certainly not going to be happy to see him when he got out.

Leverton took Birdie under his wing, teaching the young boy everything he knew. Birdie has a smart head on his shoulders, and once they were free started to take the lead when it came to undertaking the crimes, with Leverton being the mastermind behind them.

It was during this that the two of them recruited a nervous young man, one Stanley Hopkins, who had learned everything there was about being a criminal from American movies and was thus entirely unsuited for the life ahead of them. But the three of them formed a somewhat successful gang of sorts, stealing from the convenient and pocketing the loot. They were never destined to be anything more than a footnote of a footnote in the book of history.

That was until Birdie found a strange device sitting in his house one day. He had no idea where it had come from, or who could have possibly put it there. Career criminals tend to be very thorough when it came to home security after all.

Those questions were quickly ignored in favour of more pressing questions, namely 'why was everything around him frozen' and 'how could he use this in his favour'. A few quick experiments revealed that yes, time was indeed frozen, and that no one seemed to notice him during this state. A few accidents and mishaps later and Birdie quickly realized the gift that had been given to him.

As such, he recruited Leverton and Hopkins into his unit, and very quickly they found themselves swimming in dough.

The device was incredibly simplistic, a literal stop-start button embedded into a strange cube covered in markings, some of which reminded Birdie of the inside of a clock. But he wasn't going to look this gift horse in the mouth.

He had only had it for a week, and already they were doing fantastic... that was, until things went horribly wrong. Birdie had tested the machine, he knew what was suppose to happen, and the fact that time hadn't resumed no matter how many times he had pressed the buttons worried him greatly.

Things were further complicated when a group of strangers suddenly entered their hideout, as if they owned the place. A notion quickly dissuaded the moment Hopkins fired on them. Like it or not, it appeared to Birdie that the three of them had officially upgraded to murder.

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The bullets streaked through the air faster than the speed of sound, which would have been fatally tragic for the Doctor and her friends if they were not moving so much faster than that. Carefully the four of them moved out of the way of the bullets slowly heading towards where they were moments ago, gently twisting in the air.

Ryan reached out to touch one, but the Doctor quickly snatched his hand back.

"They're still got their momentum, remember?" said the Doctor. "And if you were to get too close you might short out the time differentiation... Ah. Yes, that makes sense, doesn't it."

"Put your gun down Hopkins," said Birdie angrily. "Before you do anything stupid."

"Yes Birdie," said Hopkins sheepishly. "Any idea what's going on Leverton?"

"I'm as lost as you are kid," said the older man, eyeing the new people suspiciously.

"Well if you're quite finished waving your toys around," said the Doctor, spying the object sitting on the desk in front of Leverton. "What do we have here?"

She picked up the cube, looking it over from every angle, before scanning it with her sonic.

"Yep, definitely Time Lord tech," she said, putting her sonic back into her pocket and tossing the cube up and down in one hand. "Time War as well, from the feel of it. Clearly it must be the cause, it's not being affected by the time dilation like everything else. What's a piece of Time War tech doing in Cardiff? You," she said, spinning round and pointing an accusatory finger at Birdie. "Where did you get this?"

"I dunno," said Birdie. "It just appeared in my house one day. I don't know anything, I swear."

"No, I don't suppose you do," said the Doctor, scanning the man's face. "Still, you should have turned this over to the proper authorities."

"I ain't giving it to the pigs," sneered Birdie.

"Oi!" said Yaz, annoyed.

"Too many questions," said the Doctor, looking around. "And what I need right now is answers."

"I presume we're taking it back to the TARDIS?" Graham asked in concern.

"You read my mind," said the Doctor. "You lot can just wait here."

"Oh no you don't," said Leverton, taking a step forward. He tried to follow through with his other foot, but couldn't. He tugged at his leg in desperation, but his foot seemed stuck to the ground.

"Why can't I move?" asked Leverton in concern.

"The effect must be wearing off," said the Doctor. "This device wasn't designed to stay on for long, its starting to lose its charge."

"What do we do?" asked Ryan.

"Just keep moving," said the Doctor. "Kinetic energy should stop us from being frozen in place."

"What about me?" asked Leverton in concern.

"Oh you'll be fine," said the Doctor. "From your perspective everything will just return to normal speed... Well, presuming I can fix this. Don't worry, the cops will make sure you're okay."

"You what?" asked Birdie. "I'm not letting you call the cops."

"It'll be irrelevant if I don't get time restarted," said the Doctor, but before she could continue, Birdie suddenly made a lunge at her. The Doctor stumbled back in shock, the cube slipping from her grasp. She made a desperate grab at it, but it bounced off her fingertips, floating through the air.

As if by some cruel twist of fate the cube ended up right next to one of the bullets, close enough that a spark of electricity jumped between the device and the projectile. The bullet whizzed forward, slamming into the wall, while the cube landed on the ground, cracked.

"No no no no no!" the Doctor said urgently, rushing over to the cube and picking it up.

"What?" asked everyone, concerned.

"It got shorted out," said the Doctor. "Like dropping an electrical appliance into water. It's completely busted."

"So what does that mean?" asked Ryan.

"It means that if I don't get it charged then the lack of time is going to hit all of us," said the Doctor. "And there'll never be another moment of time again!"


	3. Stop the Clocks - Episode Three

Doctor Who

Stop the Clock

Episode Three

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"It's not my fault!" Birdie said desperately, gesturing at the broken cube that he had been using to stop and start time. The Doctor just glared at him as she waved her sonic screwdriver over it.

"What do we do?" asked Yaz, concerned.

"What about me?" asked Leverton more urgently. The group turned to see the man strangely contorted, parts of his body twisted at awkward angles.

"One thing at a time,"said the Doctor, turning the cube around in her hands.

"Why are you all blurry?" Leverton continued, sounding as if he was slurring his words. "Why is it going dark?" His face, a portrait of fear, slowly stopped twitching, before the man was frozen in place, one foot in the air, one arm pulling at his leg, another waved above him. He looked like an absurd work of art.

"What's happened to him?" Hopkins asked in concern.

"He's run out of charge," the Doctor said. "He's entered normal time, if it existed. I told you, weren't you listening to me." The Doctor suddenly looked up in horror.

"Yaz!" she said urgently. "Ryan! Graham! Whatever you do, don't stop moving."

"Aye?" asked Graham, confused.

"As long as we keep moving we should be able to hold off the effects for a short while," said the Doctor, suddenly jumping up and down on her feet. "We're like batteries with a little juice left. Just keep moving."

With that she dashed outside, her companions following. Birdie and Hopkins took one look at their comrade, before deciding that there was no honour among thieves, and they had far bigger things to be concerned about. Hopkins knew one thing though. If they somehow got out of this he would go right back on the straight and narrow, just like his mum wanted.

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"Where are we going?" asked Ryan, as they ran behind the Doctor.

"Back to the TARDIS," said the Doctor.

"Do you have any idea where it is?" Ryan asked. The Doctor stopped, concerned, bouncing from one foot to another. Their walk to the hideout had admittedly taken quite a while, and they had gotten lost a few times trying to figure out where the trail exactly led, resorting to using the sonic as a tracker at some points.

"Knew there was something I was missing," she said, taking a look around. "You," she said, turning to Birdie. "How do we get back to Roald Dahl plaza?"

"Give me the device," said Birdie, holding out his hand.

"Didn't you hear the Doc?" asked Graham. "She said it was broken and it needed fixing."

"You're going to rat us out to the cops," said Birdie. "That's my get out of jail free card."

"I'm the police," said Yaz. "And you're lucky I don't have my handcuffs on me. But this isn't the time or the place."

"Quite right Yaz," said the Doctor. "How about you?" she asked, turning to Hopkins.

"Well..." said Hopkins slowly, his eyes darting to a fuming Birdie.

"Going to need you to decide quickly," said the Doctor. "We don't have a lot of time. Literally, in this case."

"It's this way," Hopkins said meekly.

"Traitor," said Birdie angrily, taking a swing at Hopkins, only to find his blow slowly travelling through the air. He looked at his fist, perplexed, before using his other hand to yank it down.

"Don't stop moving!" said the Doctor urgently. Her companions blinked, before running on the spot like her.

"This way," said Hopkins, leading the charge. Everyone followed him, Birdie looking sourly at all of them.

"What caused this anyway?" asked Yaz, as she jogged alongside the Doctor. "Was it the TARDIS?"

"It would explain why she didn't want to land here," agreed the Doctor. "Her landing in a place with no time would be like you lot arriving somewhere with no air. Oh my poor dear, she must be struggling terribly at the moment. But if I hook up the cube to the energy from the rift it should be enough to jump start time."

"Should be?" Yaz asked, concerned.

"Time Lord technology got a little... unreliable, near the end of the Time War," admitted the Doctor.

"Time War?" asked Yaz.

"Never you mind," said the Doctor, instead focusing on where Hopkins was leading them.

"Who are you lot anyway?" asked Birdie, as he jogged behind the Doctor.

"Just travellers," said Graham. "You know, if there was going to be this much running, I'd have stayed home in Sheffield."

"Why did you use the cube thing to rob places?" asked Ryan. "You could have done so much good with it?"

"Yeah, well, world's never done any good for me," sneered Birdie. "Why should I go round returning the favour?"

"Not everything in life is about you mate," said Graham. "Maybe if you thought about others we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Oh spare me your sappy talk granddad," spat Birdie. "You sound like my parole officer."

"He's got a point you know," said Ryan.

"Right, that's it," said Birdie angrily, but he never got a chance to finish his threat. His untied shoelace took this exact moment to trip him up, both figuratively and literally. He flew through the air, landing hard on the pavement. Graham and Ryan paused, looking back at him, debating to help.

Birdie snarled and pushed himself up... only to find his feet floating in the air, having been caught by the freezing effect. His arms flailed wildly before they too froze in the air. Brad 'Birdie' Edwards hung in the air, gravity clearly taking time off from affecting him.

Ryan and Graham stopped and looked at him in concern, debating whether to tell the Doctor.

"Come on!" she said urgently, Ryan and Graham snapping round to see her urgently gesturing to them. Both men started back up, but for Graham it was as if he was running through water. Water that was rapidly becoming ice.

Ryan had more luck, making a bit more distance, before realizing his grandfather wasn't next to him. He turned to see the old man slow down, as if he was a wind-up toy that had run out of charge.

"Doctor!" Ryan said urgently, running back to help Graham out.

"Don't touch him!" said the Doctor urgently, turning back round and running to help. "He's gone back to normal time. Touch him at this speed and you might kill him."

"We can't just leave him," said Ryan.

"Ryan, I know it's hard, but he'll be fine once time gets back to normal."

"No he won't," said Yaz, concern in her voice.

"Yes he will," the Doctor replied.

"No, he really won't," said Yaz, pointing to the car directly in front of Graham. In their haste the group had ignored the fact that there were cars all around them, all of which would be travelling at normal speed if time had been normal.

Speeds that Graham was now in sync with, while standing directly in front of one. The four remaining members looked at each other, it being clear what was about to happen: The moment time restarted Graham was going to be hit by the oncoming vehicle. But without being able to touch him, there was no way to move him to safety. For all intents and purposes, Graham was roadkill waiting to happen. And there was nothing they could do about it.


	4. Stop the Clocks - Episode Four

Doctor Who

Stop the Clock

Episode Four

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"Doctor, do something!" said Ryan urgently.

"I'm thinking," the Doctor said, still making sure to keep moving so that the slowdown effect that had reached her friend didn't reach her also. But even she was struggling against the encroaching freeze, it slowly sapping the energy out of her.

"Right," she said. "Yaz, Ryan, you stay here and figure out some way of making sure Graham survives being hit by a car. Hopkins, you and me will go back to my ship and fix this mess."

"But if time restarts it'll kill him," said Ryan.

"And if time doesn't restart then there'll be nothing," replied the Doctor. "I'm sorry, but time is more important. I trust you two though. Look around you. Use your head. Come on Hopkins! And don't stop moving!"

The Doctor took off, Hopkins glancing at the two before leading the way.

"Okay, so what do we do?" Ryan asked, looking at Yaz for answers. Yaz spun around, looking for some herself. Her eyes fell onto a store.

"I think I might have an idea," she said. Ryan followed her gaze, and let out a small smile. It was certainly an idea.

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"How long have you been using this device?" the Doctor asked, as she and Hopkins kept up the pace.

"About a week," said Hopkins. "At first it was awesome, but when it seemed like time wasn't coming back..."

"Yeah that's my fault," said the Doctor. "My arrival here accidentally over-loaded the machine a bit and got it stuck. But logically as long as the cube and the TARDIS are next to each other it should be enough."

"I didn't want this to happen," said Hopkins, desperate to catch his breath. "Blimey I haven't run this much since P.E. class."

"Keep it up Hopkins," said the Doctor brightly. "It can't be that much further."

"It should just be over there," said Hopkins, as they turned the corner. Sure enough the TARDIS was sitting exactly where the Doctor parked it... but the strange black hole of light surrounding it.

"What's that?" Hopkins asked, slowing down the pace in concern.

"The TARDIS is attempting to draw energy from the rift," said the Doctor. "It's having a terrible effect on the space time around it. If we're not careful it might cause a black hole that swallows the entire planet."

"Wait what?" said Hopkins.

"Oh you won't even notice," said the Doctor. "It'll be over too quick."

"I don't like this," said Hopkins, slowing down to a stop.

"Hopkins!" the Doctor said urgently, but it was too late. She could see the young man slowly freeze up, as he struggled to push against the time waves crashing upon him. The Doctor shook her head and threw herself back into the breach, pushing forward with all her might. But even as a Time Lady she was struggling to get through the thickness that was the frozen time. It would take all her strength to push through it, and even then, there was no guarantee it would work.

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"Are you sure this is going to work?" Ryan asked, slightly sceptical.

"Do you have a better idea?" asked Yaz, as they moved another mattress into place. Ryan was forced to admit that he didn't. Like it or not it was the best idea they had.

He thanked his lucky stars that they'd ended up right next to a furniture store, one that sold mattresses no less. It was back breaking work, but piece by piece, item by item, they had slowly assembled a rough crash mat of sorts. Cushions and mattresses piled the road behind Graham, creating a nest for him to fall into.

The next goal had been to stop the car. Carefully Yaz had opened the door and leant over, pulling the handbrake on and pushing the car into neutral. It wouldn't do a lot, but something was better was nothing. Fortunately there were no other cars on the road, so hopefully the damage would be minimized. But there was only so much they could do.

The last step was to pile as many mattresses between Graham and the car as they could. Again, it wasn't perfect, but it might protect him enough that they could get him to a hospital in time.

The two of them stepped back, panting heavy. It was hard to move now, as they sluggishly got themselves off the street and onto the pavement to admire their handiwork. It was a mess, but it might be just enough to work. Yaz was the first of the two to freeze, her touching the car having done the most damage at her losing her momentum. Ryan tried to keep moving as she became a statue, his fear allowing him to hop from foot to foot. He hoped his grandfather would survive what was about to happen.

But, despite his best efforts, he too felt his body slow down, the world around him getting blurry and dark. The last thing he saw was the car very slowly speeding up, heading right to the man who cared about him more than anything else in the world.

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The Doctor was close, far closer than she honestly expected to get. But to call what she was doing 'wading through quicksand' was far too generous. It was solidifying by the moment, and the Doctor felt as if she needed to punch her way through it.

She spared a thought for her companions, wonder if they'd figured out a way to save Graham. The thought of them pushed her on as she took another step, willing herself forward. But despite her best efforts the TARDIS didn't look like it was getting any closer.

As she put the foot down she knew she wasn't going to get it up again. She could feel the solidification creeping up her leg, making quick work of her knees. As such she called upon one of her previous regeneration's particular set of skills.

With a bowl that would make the English cricket team proud she let the cube soar through the air, straight and true towards the TARDIS. But at this close range even it was becoming effected by the time dilation, the cube becoming ever slower.

The Doctor hoped that it'd be enough, that somehow it would make it, as everything around her went dark...

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In a timeless world there was a child, who had control of such a domain. Curiously they looked around at the situation at hand. There was its father, flailing in mid-air. There was its home, currently warping and creaking. And there was a cube, its own creation, just hanging in the void.

The child walked over to it, examining it closely. It was certainly one of theirs, there was no mistake about that.

The child looked between the three objects in front of it, puzzled. Still, it was clear what its father wanted to do. It reached out an ethereal hand, gently tapping the cube so it continued its journey towards the TARDIS. Electricity shot out from the TARDIS like tendrils, ensnaring the cube. Soon the sparks grew brighter, blinding the world.

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Leverton stumbled forward, looking around in confusion. Everyone was here a moment ago, but now they'd disappeared before his eyes. He shook his head, grabbed as much loot as he could, and made a run for it before anyone had a chance to turn him in.

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Birdie hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of him. Groggily he got to his feet and looked around, seeing three of the nuisances that got him into this mess. Sense prevailed however, and he decided that it was better to cut his losses and run.

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Hopkins took a step forward, only to see the blue box was just a blue box. Whatever strange thing had been happening earlier was gone, as if it was all a dream. In front of him the Doctor got off the ground, brushing off her jacket, before suddenly turning around and bolting back towards him. Before he could say anything she shot past him and disappeared around the corner.

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Graham looked up at the cloudy sky above him, trying to work out what had happened. One moment he was running, and next thing he knew he was in a literal mountain of pillows and mattresses. In front of him was a car that had seemingly stopped himself, and although he had technically driven into him, the padding from the mattresses had stopped the worst of the blow.

As he struggled to untangle himself he was suddenly bowled over by Ryan and Yaz leaping to hug him. He winced slightly, battered from the experience, but clearly alive. Judging from how his friends were acting, it seemed pretty lucky that he was as well.

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"So the thieves got away?" asked Graham, as the four of them left the hospital after Graham's check-up.

"I put in a word with the police," said the Doctor. "Did I tell you I was an amazing sketch artist? They'll pay for their misdeeds. Quick thinking, you two," she added, beaming at Yaz and Ryan.

"It was Yaz's idea," said Ryan, causing Yaz to blush slightly.

"So what happened with the cube?" Yaz asked as they walked through Cardiff.

"Well as soon as it got into contact with the TARDIS it reset itself, and by extension, the time around it before it spread too far," said the Doctor. "Although the Earth is now forty-two minutes behind the rest of the universe. Maybe that's why I always struggle when it comes to landing here."

"But where did the cube come from?" asked Ryan.

"And more importantly, how did it reach the TARDIS," said the Doctor. "I didn't throw it with enough force, and yet somehow it made it."

"Well I don't know about you," said Graham. "But I fancy some chips. My treat." His friends beamed, all current questions gone from their mind.

As they walked away, chatting and laughing, none of them noticed the child in the alleyway, watching them closely. Before it suddenly disappeared, as if it was never there at all.


	5. The P'Ting Dilemma - Episode One

"Hello? Can anyone hear me? Hello. This is Determan Seven, can anyone hear us? Urgent distress call for... well, anyone. We need your help. It's gotten free. I repeat, it has gotten free. It's currently roaming around the base and I don't know how much longer we have left. Please, send an evac shuttle as quickly as possible. We need to have an emergency evacuation before it... No... Please no God help me stop pl-"

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Doctor Who

The P'Ting Dilemma

Episode One

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The groaning, wheezing noise echoed throughout the moon base, bouncing around the corridors like a cat looking for its prey. By the time the noise had died down, however, it was clear that there was no one to answer its call.

The door to a large blue box opened, a blonde woman with a smile on her face and a spring in her step, bounded out the doorways to examine everything that was before her.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Doc?" asked an older gentleman, cautiously exiting the capsule.

"One should always respond to a distress call," said the Doctor, not bothering to turn around. "Universe sees who we truly are by how we act in situations like this. Especially when it seems to cut itself off almost as quickly as it was broadcast."

"I think he means more about whether it's a good idea to just jump straight in without looking," said a younger man, following his surrogate grandfather out of the ship.

"You did scan this area to see if it was safe before we arrived, didn't you Doctor?" asked a woman in concern.

"Course I did Yaz," said the Doctor, before pausing. "Well... I checked when I opened the door. But since we're all still breathing, I think things are already off to a good start."

"You're a worry Doc," said Graham.

"Distress does imply urgency," said the Doctor. "Besides, TARDIS is designed to get itself out of danger if things were wrong. If it was truly inhospitable we wouldn't have even been able to open the doors. As such, just trust her decisions... I certainly have at this point."

"So where are we Doctor?" asked Ryan.

"Well, at a guess, this would be some sort of moon base, sixty-fifth century judging from the architecture choices. Central hub, with everything stretching from it like octopus tentacles. No doubt the base was dropped here a while back to study something found on this moon."

"Dropped here?" asked Yaz.

"Yeah, it would have detached from a spaceship and landed as one large base. Saves them the effort of having to build the base when they arrive. And when it's done it can just be blasted back off into space again, to be picked up at some point. Very reusable and cost-efficient, your century could learn a thing or two from this."

"That's all very well and good," said Graham. "But that doesn't explain the distress call."

"Then let's stop standing around here chatting and go find out more," said the Doctor. "Come on! This is going to be a real adventure."

The four of them left the small room they'd arrived in down one of the corridors, unaware that they were being watched by a sinister presence.

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"Determan Seven?" said Ryan, reading the inscription on the wall dedicating the base using his phone as a flash-light, as above them the lights dimly struggled to illuminate more of the scene.

"It'll be part of the larger spaceship," said the Doctor. "Seventh capsule. Don't ask me who Determan is though, I'm a bit rusty when it comes to this time period."

"Where is everyone?" asked Yaz, as they walked around the central control room. It was set out in an octagon shape, with various pieces of scientific equipment dotted around the room. The place was a mess though, with random pieces of equipment stewed about, as if a horde of cats had decided to pass through on their way to the dinner bowl.

"They obviously left in a hurry," said Graham, as he picked up a cracked test tube. "Could they have perhaps nipped outside?"

"No, the moon's inhospitable," replied the Doctor, looking over the central console. "If they did need to leave they'd have used the emergency escape pods, but as far as I can tell they're still all here." She smacked the console in frustration as it flickered.

"So if they're not outside, and the escape pods are still here," said Yaz slowly, "where are they?"

"There's the sixty-four thousand dollar question," said the Doctor absent-mindedly, running her sonic screwdriver over the console, before putting it away in frustration. "Oh it's no use," she said. "There's just too much missing from this, I can't get a steady connection."

"Should we go look at other parts of the base while you stay here?" asked Yaz, looking at the various corridors that split off from the main control room.

"You what?" said Ryan. "Have you never watched a horror movie? It's always safer to stay together. If we split up we'd be picked off one by one."

"Ten points to you Ryan," said the Doctor brightly, turning around and giving him a smile. "Finally, a companion who understands the importance of not wandering off."

"But we ain't going to figure out a lot standing round here," replied Graham. The Doctor bit her lip, knowing her friend had a good point, but also knowing that centuries of experience had taught her that letting her buddies wander off almost always led to more trouble.

"Alright," the Doctor relented. "But you have exactly five minutes. And don't go out of earshot."

"In that case," said Yaz, pulling out her phone and typing in a number. Graham frowned as his phone suddenly went off.

"Pick it up," said Yaz, a small smile on her face.

"Oh of course," said Graham, cottoning on and pulling out the phone, putting Yaz's call on speaker.

"Your phone bill is going to be insane this month," said Ryan.

"Good thinking Yaz," said the Doctor. "Right, you and Ryan go for a wander, Graham and I will stay here. And remember, five minutes. No more."

Ryan and Yaz nodded, picking a corridor seemingly at random and setting off. Little did they realize the danger that they were putting themselves in.

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"So, Doc," said Graham cautiously, as he attempted to clean up the mess in the lab. "Why do you always run into dangerous situations?"

"Because it's the right thing to do," said the Doctor. "Whenever someone asks for help I never refuse."

"Yeah, and I get that," replied Graham, attempting to lift up a metal block and found it weighing far more than its size would suggest. "But, well... Why do you never ask us beforehand?"

The Doctor paused, looking up from the console.

"Not that I'm saying we shouldn't help," Graham said quickly, hands up defensively. "Just, it would be nice if we had a bit more of a say about whether we get ourselves into these scrapes, or if we get someone else to help out instead."

"I'm sorry," said the Doctor. "I just assumed you were all okay with it."

"I am," said Graham half-heartedly. "It's just... I'm worried about Ryan. I love that boy, and I know I can't stop him travelling with you, and that if I stay with you I'll keep a closer eye on him, but..."

The Doctor said nothing, looking at her friend with concern. She strode over to the man, putting her hands on his shoulders, looking him dead in the eye.

"Trust me Graham," she said. "I will do everything in my power to make sure no harm ever befalls Ryan."

"I know that," said Graham, pulling away. "But this life... it has its risks, and I don't want to lose another family member. Do you ever think that maybe it's better to just let the authorities handle this instead?"

The Doctor said nothing, unable to think of a reply to comfort Graham. The silence hung in the air awkwardly, not wanting to move on and be forgotten like it usually is. Eventually the Doctor turned back round and worked on the console, trying to focus on the matter at hand. Graham, meanwhile, got back to his organizing. Neither of them wanted to press the issue further than necessary, but it was clear that there was a lot unsaid.

"Got it!" the Doctor said excitedly, if only to change the topic. Graham put down the clipboard and went over to the console.

"It's video of the distress signal," said the Doctor. "Hopefully this will give us a few more clues."

As they watched the young woman panic and cry, different thoughts crossed their mind. Graham couldn't help but think of Ryan in the same situation, the Doctor thinking of how often she'd seen something like this. Their ruminations were cut short, however, when they saw a familiar sight.

"Hang on," said Graham. "Was that..."

Before he could finish the Doctor was already rewinding the tape, pausing at just the right moment to reveal-

"Yaz!" the Doctor said, grabbing Graham's phone off the table. "Ryan! Get back here right this second! We need to leave right now!"

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Yaz and Ryan walked down the poorly lit corridor in silence, neither feeling any particular need to say anything. By this point they'd grown use to each other's company, and had reached that level of friendship where things didn't need to be said to stop it from being awkward.

What was awkward, however, was the conversation they overheard between Graham and the Doctor, both of them seemingly forgetting that Graham's phone had been left out in the open.

Yaz looked at Ryan, who looked back and shrugged. It was nothing entirely new to him. Graham cared about him deeply, and Ryan had learned to look past a man who had seemed like an imposter in his life, and instead into the caring adult who genuinely wanted the best out of him. After all that had happened, it made sense that Graham would be concerned.

Yaz likewise stayed silent, her thoughts turning to her family as the conversation went on. Graham and Ryan might only have each other, but at least they were honest. Yaz's family had no idea who she really was at this point, what she'd really gone through, how much she had changed. The weekly visits home had only grown more awkward over the last few months, as she just couldn't relate to whatever drama was happening in his sister's life, or find herself too involved with the mundane banalities that made up her parents existence.

So the two of them continued to walk on in silence, neither quite able to articulate the thoughts crowding their mind. Their trains were derailed, however, upon noticing something quite unusual.

As Yaz shined her phone's light closer at the oddity, a sinister thought crossed both their mind. The metal in front of them seemed almost as if it had been... well, eaten. But if that was true, that could only mean one thing.

"Yaz!" cried the Doctor's voice over the phone. "Ryan! Get back here right this second! We need to get out of here right now!"

The two of them turned and sprinted back down the way they came, since the Doctor had just realized the same thing they had, the answer to why the place was so empty: There was a P'Ting loose in the base, and that spelled danger for them all.

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"Come on!" the Doctor said urgently, as her three companions followed her back towards the TARDIS, all thoughts of exploration gone from their mind. They knew the danger of the situation, and that their only hope was a blue box not far away.

The Doctor collided with the TARDIS' door, almost bouncing off it from the impact if not for the fact that she grabbed the door handle to steady herself. With millenniums of practice she grabbed the key, turned the lock.

And the door stayed firmly shut.

The Doctor frowned, jiggling the key, but it refused to turn. She pulled it free, taking a step back to look at the TARDIS in confusion.

"What's all this then?" she asked, slightly offended. But just as she finished her sentence a familiar groaning, wheezing noise echoed around them. The TARDIS started to grow fainter, disappearing from existence with every flash of its light. The Doctor and her companions looked on in horror as their own means of escape literally vanished from sight, but as the last hints of it faded away, a far bigger concern overtook them. For behind the TARDIS, snarling away, was a P'Ting. It had been denied its meal, and was ready to eat the very walls currently keeping them safe. If they didn't act fast, the P'Ting would have its lunch, and they'd be toast.


	6. The P'Ting Dilemma - Episode Two

Doctor Who

The P'Ting Dilemma

Episode Two

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"Okay fam," the Doctor said with a forced cheerfulness. "Let's just slowly back away so I can seal the door shut."

"Won't it just eat through the door?" said Graham.

"Yes, but I'm sure that it'll appreciate the meal long enough for us to get to a safer area of the base."

"What do we do after that though?" said Yaz. "We don't have the TARDIS."

"Oh she can't have gone far," said the Doctor. "On the bright side the HADS works."

"The what?" asked Ryan.

"Hostile Action Displacement System," answered the Doctor. "Told you the TARDIS wouldn't put itself in a dangerous position. Now, we just need to back out of here slowly."

The four of them crept back as the P'Ting looked at them curiously. For every step they took back, it seemed to take a step forward.

"Almost there," said the Doctor, slowly pulling her sonic screwdriver out of her pocket. As soon as the creature saw the shiny light of the screwdriver its mind was set, and it lunged. In a few graceful moves the Doctor threw the sonic screwdriver at the P'Ting, while pushing her companions backwards, before her hand shot out and hit the button that closed the door. The P'Ting landed in front of the door, visible by a small porthole in the bulkhead between the travellers and the monster. It seemed to look around for a bit, before jumping to another side of the room. With a few quick bites it had eaten its way through the wall of the base, getting itself sucked out from the differing in air pressure.

The Doctor watched the P'Ting disappear outside, before turning back to her companions.

"So a quick summary," the Doctor said.

"The TARDIS' gone!" said Ryan

"So is your screwdriver," said Yaz.

"And we have no idea where the P'Ting is," finished Graham.

"Right, all on the same page then," said the Doctor. "That makes it easier. So... What do we do?"

"This is where you come in," said Graham.

"Yes, it is, isn't it," said the Doctor. "Can't wait to see how I get out of this one."

"Who are you?" said an unfamiliar voice. The four of them turned to see someone wearing a spacesuit standing at the end of the corridor.

"Oh hello," said the Doctor brightly, rushing forward and holding out her hand. "I didn't think there was anyone here. Who are you?"

"It's not safe here," said the strange figure. "Quickly, with me." The figure turned and took off. The Doctor glanced at her companions, before the four of them followed. The unease between them filled the air. The P'Ting was out there. And they had no idea where it'd strike next.

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"Ooh, this is cozy," said the Doctor, as the stranger led them into a kitchen. There were two other strangers, a man and an alien, sitting at the other end around a dinner table. "Hello," the Doctor continued, holding out her hand. "I'm the Doctor. And you are?"

"I'm Price," said the forties-something man, his stern, military-like demeanour clashing with his unkempt look. "You've met Jen," he continued, nodding to the stranger who had led the Doctor and co there, revealing herself to be a young, brown-haired woman in her early twenties as she took her helmet off and put it on the table. "And that's Perrott," finished Price, his hand waving towards the strange alien. The head looked a bit like a beaver's, if beavers had five eyes. Its body started off looking human, but ended with a bunch of tentacles for the bottom half, with a long stinger coming out from its behind. The stinger was currently buzzing, with three of the eyes that were looking at them squinting in disapproval.

"Where have you come from?" Perrott demanded, all five eyes now focused on the new people.

"We came to answer your distress call," said the Doctor. "Thought we might be able to help. I take it the person that sent the call..."

"She died," said Price stiffly. "But that's not important. Why are you really here?"

"We just said," said Ryan. "We want to help you."

"Doesn't look like you can help yourselves," said Perrott. "We should get rid of them, we don't have enough food at it is."

"Careful Perrott," said Price tetchily.

"Oh will you two knock it off," said Jen in frustration. "We need to figure out what our next move is."

"Descend into cannibalism?" replied Perrott. "Granted for me it's ethically okay, cos I'm not a human, but as consequence I'm sure I'd be the first to be eaten when it comes to that."

"For gods sake Perrott," Price said angrily.

"Right then," said the Doctor, breaking a tension that had clearly been building for days. "Lets stop asking questions and start getting some answers. I'm the Doctor, Graham, Ryan, Yaz, we came here in my spaceship which is currently somewhere on the planet's surface, and there is a P'Ting loose on the station that, judging from your facial hair, has been free for the last ten days. So why don't you tell us what you know, and we can start working together to get ourselves out of this mess."

The three inhabitants of the base looked at the Doctor, then at each other, and then Jen and Perrott at Price. The man sat silently, before giving a slight nod. Jen returned it, pulling something out of her pocket.

"For the record this is strictly classified," said Jen.

"Our lips are sealed," said Graham with a small smile. Jen didn't reply, instead putting the strange disk on the ground. A holographic projection sprung up around them, transforming the kitchen into a busying metropolis.

"This is what this moon use to be like," said Jen, as they admired the technology that for the twenty-first century humans seemed like something out of science-fiction. "Mercer was a civilization at the peak of technology, a successful colony base that had quickly transformed itself into one of the major economic hubs of the empire."

"Wait, this was what this place use to look like?" Ryan asked, but was quickly shushed by the others. Jen seemingly ignored the question and continued.

"It was also the leading developer of new ground-breaking ideas, including something that they had labelled the 'grey goo' initiative. They reasoned that if they could create self-replicating nano-machines, they could create an unlimited resource that would revolutionize life as we know it. Imagine being able to instantly create anything with the snap of the fingers, using just tiny machines?"

The projection around them flickered and changed. Suddenly they found themselves standing in a laboratory, surrounded by scientists. Ryan jumped as one of them put a non-existent arm through his chest, tapping glasses with his colleague as a toast to their success.

"This was one of the last videos to be beamed off the moon," said Jen. "They're recently perfected the device, and all that was left was to turn it on. And, well..." Jen said nothing, letting the video play for itself. A scientist at the far end of the room pressed a button. A blob of grey liquid on a podium in the middle of the room suddenly shuddered and contorted like it was silly putt in the hands of an invisible child. The podium itself seemed to glow, with for metal spikes on each corner crackling with a forcefield.

As they watched the blob seemed to form tentacles, reaching out and grabbing a small metal cube next to itself. It dragged the cube inside and, impossibly, seemed to get slightly bigger. Soon it was doing the same to all the other items placed upon the table.

The scientists cheered, one of them playfully throwing his wine glass at the blob, which caught and absorbed it. Another soon followed with their coffee mug. Soon a few of them were mucking around, chucking all sorts of objects at the blob, laughing away. The grey goo blob tried to reach out, but was stopped by the forcefield, a one-way wall that let things in, but make sure the grey goo didn't get out.

Their laughing started to die down, however, as the blob suddenly stretched itself flat, before crawling up the sides of the forcefield it had been placed in. Soon it appeared to be nothing more than a rectangular block of greyness, squirming as if it was a pile of insects. The scientist that had pressed the button to start the process started pressing others, concern growing across his face.

The rectangular block of grey goo suddenly collapsed inwards, the four corner pillars that had been holding it in a forcefield collapsing likewise. The scientists had quickly stopped laughing, their faces a mask of fear. The goo quickly swarmed over the side of the podium, as the podium itself seemed to shrink away, the goo growing ever bigger.

Graham, Yaz and Ryan backed away in fear from the grey goo that was washing around their feet, even though it didn't physically exist. The Doctor stood still, studying it intently.

"It wasn't long before it broke out of the laboratory," said Jen. The projection cut back to the outside view it had shown at the start, but now it showed a dark, twisted view of what was once a seeming utopia. The cars that were flying were doing so erratically, narrowly avoiding each other. Meanwhile rockets were taking off all around them, fleeing the planet. Those that remain stampeded away from the wave of grey goo that was quickly enveloping the scene.

"The nano-machines converted all inorganic matter into energy that it used to create more of itself," said Jen. "Nothing anyone did tried to stop it. As such, it wasn't long till it got to the atmospheric generators and, well..."

The projection then cut again to show the dead land stretching across them. A barren rock, littered with the skeletons of those unfortunate enough not to escape. They stretched as far as the eye could see.

"It can't eat organic material," said Jen dispassionately, as the projection faded away. "As such, the bones are the only thing left on this planet. It was immediately quarantined, and it has been that way for thousands of years."

"So what changed?" asked the Doctor.

"This moon was undergoing its yearly scan," said Price, getting up from his seat and crossing over to the centre of the room. "It was there when movement was detected. At first it was thought to be a mistake, as the nano-machines couldn't keep multiplying without a source of energy, but more scans revealed that there was definitely something here. As such, a research base was allocated to land and trying to find what was causing the anaomolies."

"And that's when you encountered the P'Ting?" said the Doctor. "It would have been drawn to you like a moth to the world's brightest light. But once you realized it was dangerous, why not just leave? The escape pods are still here."

"You really don't know what's been happening, do you?" said Perrott. "You really are the worst spies."

"Spies?" said Graham in confusion. "'Ere, are you just looking for any old excuse to blame us."

"What does he mean?" said the Doctor urgently.

"When we got here we successfully captured the creature," said Price. "Who this lot thought to call a P'Ting, as a loving tribute to me. And since we were the first to discover this creature and to name it, the fact that you knew what we called it is highly suspicious..."

"Yes yes," the Doctor said frustratedly. "Can we get back to what matters. You caught the P'Ting and it escaped-"

"No," replied Price.

"No?" said the Doctor.

"It didn't escape."

"What do you mean it didn't escape?" said Yaz. "We saw it running around."

"I never said one wasn't," replied Price. "But the P'Ting didn't escape. See." With that he turned and walked over to a box that had a tablecloth draped over it, that had been sitting near the door they had entered. With a flick of the wrist he threw it off to reveal-

"But that's a P'Ting?" said Ryan, confused. "Are there two P'Tings?"

"Oh of course," said the Doctor, as she went to have a closer look at the creature. It too was suspended in a forcefield, much like the grey goo that they had seen in the projection. This cage, however, was different in one crucial feature.

"Artificial skin around the forcefield generators?" the Doctor asked.

"Since it can't eat organic material, it won't be able to eat its way out of that," replied Price.

"Fair," admitted the Doctor, studying the P'Ting. "So let me guess. You captured it and studied it, but then inexplicably another P'Ting showed up?"

"Yes..." said Perrott cautiously.

"Well then it's obvious, isn't it," said the Doctor. She turned to see blank expressions on all those involved. "We know the grey goo can replicate itself, so why couldn't the P'Ting do the same?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not following," said Graham.

"Yeah I'm kinda lost as well," admitted Yaz.

The Doctor looked at all of them, baffled. Clearly the owners of the base had figured out most of the clues by this point, but her friends were still struggling to keep up.

"Look, once the grey goo had eaten everything around it, it quickly ran out of energy," explained the Doctor. "As such, it needed to evolve to deal with this new issue. As such, over all that time, it eventually became the P'Ting."

"You're saying the grey goo stuff is now that?" asked Ryan, pointing at the P'Ting.

"Oh it's brilliant," said the Doctor. "Grey goo turning itself into a sentient life-form. It's amazing, I love it... Wait, no, hang on. Did I mention that the P'Ting we saw is a copy of this P'Ting?"

"Wait what?" said Yaz.

"Clearly when you captured this P'Ting it felt threatened and split a bit of itself off," said the Doctor. "That bit slowly started to absorb this station and grow until it could create a copy of itself. So we have twin P'Tings. A P'Ting dilemma, if you will."

"Well this history lesson is great and all," said Graham. "But how does this exactly help us?"

"Knowledge is power Graham," said the Doctor. "Now that we know what it is, we know how to deal with it."

"Hold on a moment Doctor," said Yaz. "Don't P'Tings have poisonous skin?"

"Yes," said the Doctor, not really following her friends train of logic.

"Well how is that skin alive if it should die when the P'Ting touches it?"

"I..." The Doctor's faced suddenly froze, fear slowly creeping across it. She spun round to see the P'Ting studying the group intently. Almost as if it was listening.

"I really wish you hadn't said that..." the Doctor said, as the P'Ting shuddered. Slowly it reached a hand out to touch the skin covering the forcefield generator. As soon as he touched it the skin started to blister and melt, revealing the metal underneath.

"What did you do?" said Price angrily.

"Turns out that it's smarter than we let on," said the Doctor. "It's constantly adapting and evolving, working out how to get itself free. It heard what Yaz said and changed to follow the advice, and..." Her sentenced trailed off as the P'Ting continued to touch the flesh, it dropping to the bottom of the cage in slimy lumps. As soon as there was enough space the P'Ting put its mouth around one of the spokes and the corner and bit into it. There was a shimmer, mimicking the one seen in the projection, before it disappeared completely. With the forcefield gone, the P'Ting were free. And they were all trapped with it.


	7. The P'Ting Dilemma - Episode Three

Doctor Who

The P'Ting Dilemma

Episode Three

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"Quick question, should have asked before this all started: How have you been keeping the other P'Ting out of here?"

The Doctor patiently waited for her question to be answer as they all backed away from the snarling P'Ting standing in front of them, sniffing the air.

"We electrified the room," said Price. "Turned it into a Faraday cage."

"Oh did you?" said the Doctor. "That was pretty clever. If I had my sonic, I'd be able to get us out of this mess pretty easy."

"And since you don't have your sonic?" asked Yaz.

"I do something just as amazing," replied the Doctor, "but with my own two hands. So if this room is electrified, you have to have a specific generator, yes?"

"Yeah, it's in the wall over there," said Price, nodding to the wall to the left of the Doctor.

"In that case..." The Doctor slowly made her way over to the panel as the P'Ting looked around, picking up a few cups near it and eating them. Making sure to keep her eyes on the being she tapped the panel, which opened a panel of wires. Slowly the Doctor grabbed a handful, looking at the others in the room.

"The moment it happens," she said, "get through that door there." She nodded at a door near the P'Ting. Everyone looked at her in confusion and fear, so the Doctor decided to go for it. With a single yank she pulled a collection of wires out of the wall.

The room suddenly plunged into darkness, lit only by a trail of electricity that shot out towards the other door. They saw the P'Ting move towards the electricity, before the Doctor started to shove them through the door. It was only after they were all through the Doctor slammed the door shut behind them.

"What did you do that for?" Perrott demanded angrily.

"I'm sorry," said the Doctor, confused and winded. "P'Tings are drawn to energy, so I simply turned the electrical current protecting this room into something that the P'Ting would be willing to follow. As such, it's currently running away from us rather than towards us."

"Yes, but now we have nowhere that's safe!" Perrott retorted.

"We're safer now than we were ten seconds ago," countered the Doctor. "It wouldn't matter what our next moves would be if we were dead now, would it? But since we're alive, we can start figuring out a way out of this situation. So, options?"

"What about those escape pods you mentioned?" asked Graham.

"Yeah, why haven't you used them?" the Doctor asked. "Surely the moment you realized the P'Ting was a threat you'd have jumped straight into one?"

"That was one of the first things we tried," said Price. "Unfortunately the P'Ting sabotaged the system too badly, and we can't get powers to have it take off."

"Not that it'd work," said Perrott bitterly. "At most we could only get one escape pod to work, but the capsule can only carry five of us, and I think you'll find that would mean two of you lot would have to stay behind."

"But if we could get power to the capsule," said the Doctor, "it could take off and rendezvous with the Determan?"

"I mean it's certainly possible," said Price. "But it's a moot point anyway."

"Not exactly," said the Doctor. "What if we diverted all the power to one of the capsules in one big bang? That should have it take off."

"But that would also draw the P'Ting in," said Jen. "There's no way of knowing whether they'd be able to get in before the pod took off."

"So we need to lure the P'Ting away from the capsule while its powering up, while also finding a way of getting all six of you on it."

"Hold up," said Graham. "What do you mean, 'all six of you'? You're not staying behind Doctor."

"Someone has to stay in the control room and keep an eye on the controls," said the Doctor. "Especially in order to step the self-destruction from going off early."

"I'm sorry what?" asked Ryan.

"All bases are built with a self-destruct feature," explained the Doctor. "In case of absolute disaster, the base can destroy itself to stop anything from getting out... That's why you haven't contacted the Determan yet, isn't it? You know that if they knew what the P'Ting really was they'd destroy the base rather than let it get free."

"Correct," said Price. "One of my crew members sent out the distress signal without my consent, and I was quick to terminate it. To be honest the fact you turned up at all was not expected."

"Be glad we did. Right, so, here's the plan. The six of you get in the escape pod, and I reroute the self-destruct explosive energy to help power it up and propel you off the surface."

"No," said Ryan.

"No?" said the Doctor.

"No," repeated Ryan. "We either all get out of this, or none of us do."

"Maybe we should listen to the Doc," began Graham.

"No Graham," said Ryan. "I know you worry about my safety, but you're not the only one who cares for others. We need to come up with another idea."

"Could you use the TARDIS?" Yaz asked.

"If I could get to it," said the Doctor, thinking quickly. "Depends how far away it is. It should be somewhere on the surface, so if I borrow Jen's spacesuit..."

"So go get the TARDIS and swing by to pick us up," said Graham.

"Right, if nothing else, we need to get to the control room," said the Doctor. "You know how to get us there?"

"Follow me," said Price, as he led them to the control room. He didn't trust the Doctor, but if she could get them off the moon, then at this point he really had nothing to lose.

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"Found it!" said the Doctor. "TARDIS, five miles due north. I should be able to make it in about half an hour if I sprint it."

"There you go then," said Graham. "Go and get it for us."

"It'll take me a while to reprogram it though," the Doctor said. "She isn't willing to come back here, not with the P'Ting still around. I'm not sure I can find a work-around."

"I believe you can do it Doctor," said Yaz, giving the Doctor a comforting smile. The Doctor smiled back.

"Right, so, here's the plan: We set the base to self-destruct in one hour. You lot take all the equipment you can find and collect on in this corridor, it should be the furthest point away from the capsule. Hopefully that'll attract the P'Ting, and you can make it to the escape pid with no trouble. Then someone needs to stay here and make sure the power is flowing correctly, correcting any anomalies that appear. Hopefully the build-up of energy will be enough to power up the capsule and let it escape the orbit of the moon, to be picked up by the Determan. So I suppose the question now is... which one of you is going to stay behind?"

"Me," said Graham, Yaz and Ryan simultaneously. The other three said nothing, avoiding the Doctor's gaze. The Doctor debated about which group to argue with first, and decided on the guilty party.

"Why aren't any of you volunteering?" the Doctor asked the crew of Determan 7. "You caused this mess, it is your responsibility."

"We didn't do nothing," said Perrott. "How could we have known that any of this was going to happen?"

"You came down to this planet with a cage to catch a P'Ting," the Doctor pointed out, "and equipment specifically to experiment on it. If I didn't know any better I think you knew this was happening."

The three of them said nothing, trying to wait it out. Finally Jen broke.

"Okay fine," she said. "We're working for the military. They were thinking that the P'Ting could perhaps be used as a weapon. But we never intended for any of this to happen."

"You lot never do," the Doctor said. "You see an individual living a peaceful life and what do you do? Arrive here, capture it, and experiment on the poor thing. You are the reason all this happened."

"Oh shut up," Price said angrily. "You're telling me that you've never done something ruthless to aid your side? Never experimented on something in order to gain an edge, consequences be damned? You've never used a living thing against its will?"

"Of course not," the Doctor said quickly.

"Come now Doctor," Price said sourly. "We both know that isn't true. I've read your record, and I know what you created during the war."

The Doctor said nothing, glaring at the man. Suddenly there was a shuddering, breaking the tension. Jen checked the central console.

"The P'Ting has taken a bite out the walls," she said, checking the readings. "We've lost corridor six."

"Look, we don't have time to waste," Graham said. "I'll stay behind and make sure you lot make it off safely."

"No!" Ryan and Yaz said in unison, but Graham held up his hand to silence them.

"Ryan, I made a promise to your nan to look after you," he said. "Yaz, you have your own family to get back to. This is the only way. So lets not waste time arguing before the P'Ting literally eats this base from out underneath us."

Yaz and Ryan glared angrily at Graham, but the Doctor grabbed the brave man and dragged him to the console.

"Right, here's what you need to do," the Doctor said, explaining what was going to happen the moment the self-destruct started. The others milled around awkwardly, waiting for instructions. Graham nodded, and the Doctor turned back round.

"I'm about to start the countdown," said the Doctor. "Jen, you need to come with me so I can grab your spacesuit. The rest of you, I want you to find anything that produces energy. Batteries, appliances, whatever you can. Pile it down one end of the base and turn it on, then immediately make your way to the escape pod. Jen, you'll meet them there. Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded. The Doctor nodded back, turned, and pressed a button on the console.

"Self-destruct activated," said a female robotic voice. "This base will be destroyed in sixty minutes."

"You heard the lady," said the Doctor. "We have just under an hour. Now go!"

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The Doctor and Jen ran through the base, entering back into the kitchen they'd first met, picking up the helmet that Jen had left on the bench. With it in hand they started to make their way to the northern most airlock.

"Why do you need my suit?" Jen asked.

"Because yours is the only one left," said the Doctor. "If you lot were sensible you would have put on your spacesuits and left the base, and waited for the Determan to pick you up while the P'Ting ate the base. Instead the three of you were stuck in the kitchen. Ergo, the P'Ting must have already gotten to the spacesuits, and it was only by luck that you happened to be wearing yours during the panic."

"You're right," Jen said in surprise. "That's brilliant."

"Helps that I also checked all the systems when I got here," said the Doctor. "The central console said the same thing. I also suspect that you were the one sent on reconnaissance whenever you needed to leave the kitchen. Right, here we are." The Doctor and Jen stood next to the airlock door, Jen hurriedly trying to take the suit off, the Doctor examining the other suits. Sure enough they were all damaged in some way, no doubt a consequence of the P'Ting fancying a snack.

Jen had managed to get the gloves off when she froze. Suddenly she swung round, holding her hands out as the P'Ting suddenly dropped down onto the vent and straight at her. She struggled wildly to hold the P'Ting away from her as it squirmed in her hands, the beast managing to break free and scratching at her spacesuit.

The Doctor sprung into action, grabbing the fire extinguisher off the wall and blasting the P'Ting. The monster let out a shriek and backed off from the sudden burst of cold, shivering a little bit as it took off down the corridor. The Doctor ran over to Jen, helping her up.

"Good thing it wasn't the poisonous one," the Doctor said, inspecting the spacesuit. Jen looked down as well and swore.

"Language," the Doctor said, as she poked one of her fingers through the holes. "Well there doesn't seem to be any major structural failure," she said hopefully.

"You can't take this outside," Jen said. "It won't protect you."

"It'll do enough," the Doctor said. "I'm tougher than you humans."

"You still plan to go out wearing just this?"

"I have to. My friends are relying on me. Anyway, we don't have time to argue. Help me into it. Hopefully I'm a faster sprinter than I remembered."

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"Are you sure this is going to work?" Perrott asked sourly, as he put the blender next to the microwave.

"Why do you always have such a negative attitude?" replied Ryan.

"It's what his race is like," said Price, as he tapped away at the control panel in the wall. "They're always pessimistic and miserable. That's what you get when you live on a planet that never stops raining."

"Starting to wish I never left," said Perrott. "I could be in my dam right now, but no, I'm stuck on a quickly collapsing base."

"Why did you choose this job then?" Yaz asked.

"Money," replied the two scientists in unison.

"Couple of years on one of these ships will get you set for life," said Price.

"Presuming you live long enough to enjoy it," added Perrott.

"So you were experimenting on the P'Ting solely for money?" Yaz asked, faintly disgusted.

"It's not a living thing," said Price dismissively.

"It's real enough mate," said Ryan. "Maybe if you were nicer to it we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Oh spare me your sob story," began Perrott, before suddenly falling silent. The rest of them followed his gaze to see the two P'Tings standing there, curious.

"We may have over-estimated how much power we needed," Perrott said carefully. Trapped in a dead end, they had no way of escaping the P'Ting. The creatures let out a toothy grin and, without warning, suddenly leapt right at them!


	8. The P'Ting Dilemma - Episode Four

Doctor Who

The P'Ting Dilemma

Episode Four

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The P'Tings lunged, avoiding the four of them to start eating the various pieces of equipment that had been piled up in the dead end. Ryan and Yaz looked at each other and nodded, before making their way down the corridor. Price and Perrott were quick to follow, leaving the P'Ting to their meal.

They met Jen in the control room, learning that the Doctor had already made her way out of the airlock and was currently make a break for it to the TARDIS.

"How long do you think they'll eat the bait for?" asked Ryan.

"Hopefully long enough," said Price. "We have to wait here though. We start the escape pod start-up sequence too early and they'll be drawn straight to it."

"What happens if they eat everything too quickly though?" asked Yaz.

"Then we're dead," said Perrott. "Because your Doctor friend seemed to think it was a good idea to blow this place up."

"Speaking of the Doctor," said Graham, turning to Price. "How do you know who she is?"

"All commanders are given a briefing on the Doctor before every mission," said Price. "I was expecting a man, but we've learned never to underestimate the Doctor and the danger she poses."

"The Doctor isn't dangerous," said Ryan.

"No?" said Price. "You've obviously not travelled with her long enough. The Doctor leaves death and destruction no matter where he, or she, goes."

"That's not true," said Yaz.

"Tell that to the people of the Khalifa," said Price sourly. "The few survivors say that the Doctor was merciless at destroying the ship. The Puth reported the same thing. All ships in the sector have the Doctor as a code red."

"I find this very hard to believe," said Graham.

"It doesn't matter what you think," said Price. "But I've lost good friends on those ships when the Doctor turned up. I'm just glad she's not going to make it to the Determan."

"She'll come back," said Yaz. "You can count on the Doctor."

"You really don't know her at all, do you... Well, follow the Doctor then. Just don't be shocked if she leads you to your death."

The Doctor's friends said nothing, glancing at each other, shifting uneasily.

"Twenty-five minutes to self-destruction," said the computer voice.

"Let's go," said Price. "We need to start the ignition sequence for the pod. You know what to Graham?"

"You can rely on me," said Graham, turning to Ryan and Yaz. "Now go you two... I'll meet you with the Doctor in a little while."

Yaz and Ryan said nothing, sweeping Graham up in a hug. Graham returned it, before pushing the two of them away. They didn't have time for sentimental. Besides, the Doctor wouldn't let her down. She never did.

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The Doctor let out a sigh of relief when she saw the TARDIS ahead of her. Fortunately she hadn't got lost, despite how similar everything looked. The trip across the moon had been hellish so far. The suit had protected her from the worst of the sun's rays, and the oxygen tank allowed her to breathe as long as she limited it to short bursts. But even her Time Lord biology didn't make her invincible.

She briefly wondered how many regenerations she had left. If she didn't make it to the TARDIS, if she died here, the regeneration would certainly kick in... but it wouldn't keep her alive for long, repeating the cycle yet again. How long would it take before she finally died?

No, there wasn't time for morbid thoughts. Her friends countered on her, and despite the pain racking her body, she was almost at the TARDIS. The fact that he legs gave way from underneath her in exhaustion wasn't a reason to start getting pessimistic, not when the TARDIS was only a few feet away.

She dragged her body across the sandy ground, aware that her oxygen tank had run out, and she was only getting by with the air in her lungs. Still, she'd held her breath for a long time before, this was no different than her dinner date with Houdini when she went over Niagara Falls in a barrel.

The TARDIS was in touching distance, all she had to do was open the door and crawl inside. She pushed at the door, but it refused to open. Of course, the TARDIS had locked herself, she needed to get her key.

Using the handle for support she pulled her arm out of the sleeve of the suit, rummaging around in her pocket until she could find it. Her other hand started to take the suit off, so that she could get the key into the keyhole. She was dimly aware that this probably wasn't the smartest way of doing things, but her mind was starting to swim into blackness.

As she put her key in the lock, suit half off, body in agony, she failed to get it to turn. The TARDIS refused to open, since the forcefield hadn't been reset, and it wasn't safe. The Doctor put her head against the door, reaching out telepathically. All she needed was this door open so she could go inside.

But she was quickly running out of usable oxygen, and he was struggling to concentrate. She weakly pounded at the door, as she slowly started to slip into unconsciousness, ready to die on this alien planet. As everything darkened she just hoped her companions could forgive her.

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"It's awfully cramp," said Ryan, as they struggled to fit within the capsule. The seats took up most of the room, forcing Ryan and Yaz to crouch awkwardly in the corner as the other three buckled themselves in.

"It's only meant for three people," said Price. "You two are only here because we can take off with the extra weight. I'm going to warn you know though, it's going to be extremely painful. You might not make it."

"Wait you're saying we could die?" said Ryan.

"We're blasting off in a rocket," said Perrott. "The G-Forces are going to be pretty significant. If your lucky you're only gonna suffer major wounds."

"We should have taken our chances with the Doctor," said Yaz, as she squirmed awkwardly to get herself comfortable.

"Ten minutes to self-destruct," said the computer.

"How are things Graham?" asked Price.

"Everything is proceeding to schedule," said Graham. "So far the re-routing is storing the energy from the self-destruct to redirect into the capsule. There haven't been any major problems so far."

"Good man," said Price. "Your sacrifice will be remembered."

"Do you think the Doctor is back at the TARDIS?" Ryan asked.

"Course she is," said Yaz. "You can trust her. We're only here to make it easier for her to just pick up Graham."

"Well I for one can't wait till we leave this miserable place," Perrott said sourly. "As soon as we get back I'm putting my two we- What was that?"

The five of them paused as they heard the pitter-patter of feet on the roof of the capsule.

"You don't think-" began Ryan.

"They're looking for dessert?" asked Jen. "I'm not waiting to find out." She panicked and started to try and undo her seatbelt, even though it had firmly clamped her in.

"Stop panicking," said Price, as Jen tried to get free. Suddenly lights all around the capsule started to flash urgently.

"What's going on?" asked Ryan.

"The P'Ting are interfering with the systems," said Price. "If we don't do something soon they'll destroy the escape pod."

"Can we distract them?" asked Yaz.

"With what?" asked Perrott.

The two friends looked at each other, before an idea dawned on them.

"Open the doors," said Yaz.

"What are you on about?" said Price.

"We can lead them away from you with these," said Yaz, showing the group her phone. "Hopefully we can distract them long enough for you to get away."

"Fine by me," said Perrott, reaching past Price and pressing the door open button. Ryan and Yaz looked at each other and nodded, squeezing past the seat and out the door, waving their phones.

It was only when they were halfway down the corridor they realized that their plan wasn't working. The quickly turned to go back to find the P'Ting... only to find the door shut behind them.

"What's going on?" demanded Yaz.

"I'm sorry," said Price over the intercom. "You lot were too heavy. We couldn't risk not taking off."

"You're leaving us here to die?" said Ryan.

"You chose to come here," Price replied. "That's what you get for following the Doctor. I recommend you go back to your friend, spend your last moments together. I'm sorry, but I have to think of my crew first."

The two looked at the capsule and made a run for it back to the console room, hoping that the Doctor hadn't picked Graham up yet, and that they could grab a ride. But they both knew the chances of it happening were slim to none.

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The Doctor leapt out a deep, grateful breath and pushed herself to her feet. The blurry shapes around her slowly formed into the shape of a familiar sight.

"I knew you wouldn't let me down," the Doctor beamed, running away from the entrance she fell into and towards the central console.

"Right, we just need to go back and pick up Graham," said the Doctor, starting the dematerialization sequence. The familiar wheezing, groaning sound failed to happen, as the TARDIS refused to budge.

"Oh come on now," the Doctor said in frustration. "We have to go back and save him." The TARDIS groaned, seemingly in response.

"Yes, I know the P'Ting are there, but I promise I won't let them get to you... Look, you know you can trust me, I just need you to co-operate... Don't make me override you." The Doctor slammed the console, but the TARDIS refused to budge. The Time Lady put her head in her hand, wishing she'd gotten one of the newer models last time she was on Gallifrey, before stopping. She froze, realized how stupid she'd been.

"Oh I'm so sorry," the Doctor said. "Of course you don't want to go back, you're scared. I should have realized. The P'Ting is terrifying, isn't it?"

The TARDIS said nothing, but the Doctor knew it was listening.

"After everything I've put you though... I'm sorry, I should have thought about this. I'm sorry for putting you into these situations. But... You once said you take me where I need to be. Well I need to be there to save my friends. But if you don't want to do this, if you want to stay here, then I don't think I could ever face the universe after letting them down. I'd stay here, forever, as punishment. Neither of us want that, do we? So... will you help me help them?"

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"Ryan!" Graham said in shock. "Yaz! What are you doing here?"

"Price doesn't want us to jeopardize his escape," Ryan said sourly.

"Oh he doesn't, does he?" Graham replied. "Wait till he hears from me... Price! Why did you kick my friends off the escape pod?"

There was no response, save from a computer voice reminding them that they only had four minutes left.

"Price!" Graham repeated, but no response. He frowned in concern. Suddenly a familiar chatter appeared over the intercom.

"Wait, is that..." Ryan said slowly. As if to answer his questions a camera feed in the escape pod flicked on to reveal the two P'Tings running around inside of it. Price, Perrott and Jen all lay dead, killed by the fast-acting poison that coated one of the P'Tings. One of the P'Tings was on the main console, accidentally pressing buttons without realizing it. A hole in the roof revealed how they got in.

"He got us out to save us," said Yaz.

"Or he didn't realize the P'Ting were actually there," said Ryan.

"Whatever the case is, it doesn't really matter, does it," said Graham. "This place is about to go up and take us with it!"

"Ninety seconds to base destruction," said the computer voice. The three friends looked at each other before embracing in a group hug, each filled with regret. Yaz wish she could say goodbye to her family, Ryan wish he had been nice to Graham, and Graham wishing he could have kept Grace's promise.

"Sixty seconds to base destruction," said the computer voice, unconcerned with the three friends silently sharing their last goodbyes. Their silence was broken, however, by the most wonderful sound they'd ever heard.

"Don't just stand there," the Doctor said, beckoning them into the TARDIS. "She isn't going to want to stay around here for long." The three didn't need telling twice, literally throwing themselves into the TARDIS. The Doctor slammed the door and raced to the console, running around it like a mad woman, throwing all sorts of switches and levers.

As the TARDIS took off the voice counted down, finally hitting one. The base erupted into flames, the power surge being directed towards the escape pod. The capsule fired, shooting off the moon and into the night sky. All that was left were scraps of metal floating to the ground, and a fire that quickly put itself out.

Determan 7 was gone for good. And the P'Ting were on a new adventure.

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"Whatever happened to the P'Ting?" Graham asked, as the TARDIS drifted through space.

"They cause havoc for a few centuries," said the Doctor. "Fortunately no one ever manages to capture them, so they don't multiply any further. Eventually they consume so much matter that they become beings of pure energy, and end up helping the humans power their ships when the universe stars to end."

"So they do good in the end?" Yaz asks.

"Most things do good in the end," said the Doctor. "Or at least I'd like to think they do."

"Price said some stuff about you," said Ryan. "About the Khalifa and the Puth being destroyed by you. Is it true?"

The Doctor said nothing, walking around the console, very deliberately eating a biscuit to try and avoid the issue. Clearly Ryan wasn't going to let it go, especially now that the other two were interested.

"I did some things in my past I'm not proud of," the Doctor said slowly. "Back when I was a different man. I did some bad things for the greater good. Ever since then I've been trying to do the right thing wherever I could. I may not be perfect, but I like to think I do good in the end."

"Just like the P'Ting?" asked Yaz.

"Just like the P'Ting," agreed the Doctor. "Anyway, that's the past, and why go there when we can visit the future. I have just the resort planet for you... imagine a spa the size of an ocean!"

As the Doctor programmed their next destination she tried not to think of the guilt building up inside of her. After all, she was trying to be better. Surely that must count for something... didn't it?


	9. History of the Daleks - Episode One

"Welcome to Hopies!" the Doctor said, spreading her arms to introduce her friends to splendour of the planet. "One of my favourite planets in the universe... after Earth, of course."

"This seems like something out a movie," said Ryan in shock, as they looked at the futuristic city unfolding before them. The cars flew in the sky, weaving between the glittering towers, as people ran down the street to some commotion.

"What's going on?" Yaz asked, as they saw more people disappear round a corner.

"No idea," the Doctor said. "Shall we go find out?" Before anyone had a chance to offer a differing opinion she was already off, bolting like a child free from their parents. Her three friends followed, trying to keep up with the Doctor in the massive crowd that was forming.

"Hang on," said Graham, looking at the banners hanging out of windows and the flags everyone was waving. "Has there been an election?"

"Impossible," the Doctor said. "The planet's election isn't for another three years."

"There's a banner there saying congratulations to the new president," pointed out Ryan, gesturing to the stage in front of them.

"Probably a title more than anything else," replied the Doctor. "Honorary, that sort of thing."

"Please welcome to the stage the new president of Hopies," said a lady on stage joyfully.

"Maybe this is Topsy-turvy Day?" the Doctor threw out as a last hope.

"My fellow Hopieans," began the man who had walked onto stage and stood behind the podium, struggling to be heard over the cheering.

"Getting harder to believe he's not the president Doctor," said Yaz, giving her friend a cheeky nudge. The Doctor didn't reply, worry crossing her face.

"We are thankful for our recent win in this planet's snap election," the president continued. "We promise to uphold the values that we ran on, values that we believe in, born on Skaro-"

"Hold on a minute," said Graham. "Did he say Skaro?"

"Wait, does that mean-" began Ryan, before his answer was given by the speaker.

"We, the Neo-Kaleds, will escort this planet into a glorious future!" The applause was thunderous, drowning the four new arrivals within a sea of despair and confusion.

"He said Skaro," began Graham, but the Doctor was already beating him to the punch.

"This isn't right," she said, horror written across her face. "This isn't how it's suppose to go at all."

"What's a Kaled?" asked Yaz.

"It was the precursor to the most dangerous beings in all the universe," the Doctor said. "Because eventually the Kaleds... became the Daleks!"

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Doctor Who

History of the Daleks

Episode One

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"Doctor, will you just talk to us," said Graham, as the Doctor ran around inside the TARDIS, fussing over the controls.

"What?" said the Doctor in frustration, before seeing her friends concerned faces. She sagged, learning on the console for support. "Sorry," she said, before sliding down onto the floor. "It's just... None of this is right. Every cell in my body is screaming at how wrong time has gotten, and I need to work out what's gone wrong. What has happened to this planet's history?"

"Well that's easy then, isn't it?" said Ryan. The other three looked at him in confusion. "We just go to a museum," he said slowly, wondering why they weren't on the same wavelength.

"Ryan, you are a genius!" the Doctor said, leaping to her feet and rushing over to give her friend a giant hug. "Sorry, rest of you, I don't think you can make up enough points to beat Ryan here. Come on! Lets find out what's been happening since I was away."

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"When the war finally ended after four long, gruelling years, it was clear that someone was going to have to step up and bring Hopies back to its former glory."

The introduction video to the museum continued to drone on in the background as the Doctor and her friends studied various exhibits around the museum, attempting to absorb everything while lacking a lot of the cultural clues to process it. The Doctor was busy running around the entire museum, seemingly too distracted to focus on just one thing.

"Are you okay?" Yaz asked, putting a concerned hand on her friend's shoulder. "You seem a bit more... agitated, than usual."

"Imagine being in a room with a really nasty smell," said the Doctor. "Or having something really foul stuck in your mouth. It's hard for me to concentrate with so much... time wrongness, just..." She waved her hands ineffectively, trying to convey the scope of her issue.

"So it says here that the kick-off was the death of this one guy," said Ryan. "Sicuck Dramyon."

"Sicuck Dramyon?" the Doctor replied, running over to Ryan and looking at the placard.

"Died mysteriously in his hotel room during a peace conference," read Yaz. "Both sides blamed the other for the assassination, and soon the war broke out."

"Sicuck," the Doctor whispered, gingerly touching the picture of an older man in military dress.

"You knew him?" Graham asked.

"We travelled together when I was all bouncy and charming and romantic," the Doctor said. "He and I gallivanted all over the universe, till he decided to come back home and use what he learned to improve the planet. He was suppose to lead Hopies into a new golden age, one that turned this civilization into one of the greatest in the universe."

"So his death is what triggered the change in the timeline?" Yaz asked. "Why not just go back in time and stop it from happening?"

"Because you can't change events when you become established in them," said the Doctor. She saw her friends confused expressions and pondered, wondering how to explain temporal mechanics to beings that only saw time as being a linear cause to effect.

"Imagine a word document on your computer," the Doctor said. "While it's on your computer you can change it, edit it, fiddle about with it all you want with there being no trace that you did so. But the moment you print it out, those words are firmly entrenched in the paper, and to try and squibble over that could cause you to put a hole through it."

"The paper is the universe aye?" Ryan asked, trying to keep up with the allegory.

"Well, more of the web of time," the Doctor said. "Like a spider-web, where you can cut a few strings, but cut too many and the whole universe falls in on itself."

"You've lost us Doc," Graham said.

"Long story short, we can't go back in time to save him without causing a paradox," the Doctor said. "Which is bad."

"Right, yes," Graham said. "Anyway, his death led to a massive war that only just got resolved a few decades ago."

"That still doesn't explain how the Daleks come into it," said Ryan.

"You might want to have a look at this then," said Yaz, beckoning them over to the strangest statue the gang had ever seen. There were two figures standing tall, back to back as comrades in arms. The first was of a handsome, strong-jawed man, a flag firmly held in one hand, a gun of sorts aimed in the other. Next to him stood a Dalek, a flag awkwardly jutting from its back, appendages raised high in celebration. The Doctor shuddered, revulsion building up inside of her.

"Says here that some guy called Aniton Erecent found some recordings made by the Daleks about their history, tactics, philosophy," read Yaz. "He adapted them to fit his command, and soon his ingenious approach led to a crushing defeat for the enemies of the planet, and soon they surrendered than face the might of the Daleks."

"Sounds like a load of bull to me," said Ryan.

"At a guess I'll say that 'ingenious approach' was killing everyone who got in his way until no one was brave enough to stand up to him," replied Graham. "'Ere, hang on, why did they give the Dalek a plunger? I thought the one on Earth did that because it was desperate for parts."

"No they've always had a plunger," the Doctor said absent-mindedly, already starting to wander to the next part of the exhibit.

"Why?" asked Ryan. The Doctor paused, before turning round, face scrunched in confusion.

"You know, I've never thought to ask," the Doctor admitted. "Always been a bit too busy to have a proper conversation with a Dalek."

"Well whatever the reason is, the people here sure seem to love Aniton," said Graham, as he found the next part of the story. "He established the Neo-Kaleds, building on the philosophy of the Daleks found in the recording, and quickly rode the popularity wave into being elected head of the planet. After that his party has been amassing power, slowly taking control of all branches of government."

"Typical dictator move," said the Doctor. "Get a foothold, then dismantle anything that gets in your way. It's brilliant in its insidiousness. But we need to know what happened recently, in this election. But where can we find that in a museum?"

"We don't" said Ryan. "You find it in a newspaper, don't you?"

The Doctor turned, looking at her three companions with another giant smile on her face.

"Seriously, you two, you need to really step up your game here," she said teasingly. "Ryan is really pulling ahead, I might start leaving you behind."

"Okay, so once we find a newspaper, then what?" Yaz asked. "What are you planning to do?"

"Take down this government and all the evil it stands for," the Doctor said simply.

"You can't just take down an entire government!" Graham said in shock.

"You watch me," the Doctor replied. "Remember Harriet Jones?"

"Who?" asked Ryan.

"Exactly," said the Doctor. "And she was one of the nicer ones."

"But what do you do once you've taken out the government?" asked Yaz.

"Oh things usually sort themselves out," the Doctor said. "Most of the time, at any rate."

"Is there perhaps some sort of middle-ground?" asked Graham. "Where we get them to change their minds?"

"You can't reason with these people," said the Doctor. "I'm sorry, but this entire planet will be better once they're out of power. Hopefully the next lot will put history back on its right course, and we can put all this behind us."

"Hey Doctor, look at this." Ryan held up a pamphlet he found lying on the ground. The other three came over, looking at the unfolded paper.

"So there's a victory celebration tonight, is there?" the Doctor said. "That's exactly what we need. Graham and I can go in and learn what has happened straight from the horse's mouth."

"What do we do?" Yaz asked, as she and Ryan looked at the Doctor in anticipation.

"I want you to to talk to the locals," said the Doctor. "Find out what they think of the Neo-Kaleds, why this party got so popular, that sort of thing. Some local knowledge might be exactly what we need. Lets agree to meet back here in five hours."

The Doctor slipped the pamphlet into her coat pocket and beamed.

"Okay fam. Let's go save this planet."

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"I wish you told me this event was formal wear," said Graham, standing uncomfortably in his daily clothing. "I look like a real buffoon."

"I think you look pretty," the Doctor said, focusing on the stage. Her psychic paper had been enough to bluff their way through the entrance, but now that the dining room was filling up it was clear that they'd soon stick out if not careful. The Doctor spied a group of young men and casually sauntered over, Graham only just noticing that she'd left his side.

"Hello there," the Doctor said with a wide smile. "It appears that the wait staff have forgotten to seat us, may we join you?"

"Of course," said one of the men, a blonde man who had an air about him of a person who had never needed to work a day in his life. "Shan and Tane couldn't make it anyway, there were issues at the club."

"Oh but of course there is," the Doctor said. "I bet the servants were being too disrespectful again."

Graham raised his eyebrow, wondering what the Doctor was thinking about being so bitingly sarcastic, but it was clear that the blonde man had too high of an opinion of himself to presume that other people had their own thoughts and motivations.

"Well you know what it's like," he said with a chuckle. "Nyder's the name, lovely to meet you. That's Falkus, Parran, and Tashek. And you are..."

"I'm Graham," said Graham with a smile. "And my friend here is..."

"Lovely to make your acquaintance," the Doctor said, cutting Graham off and shaking Nyder's outstretch hand. "I must say, those don't seem like typical Hopies names."

"We changed them when we joined the party," said Nyder. "Aniton advised it for the first few members, and now its become somewhat of a tradition."

"Did he?" the Doctor said. "Why did he do that?"

"He said it helped differentiate us from the common rabble," said Falkus, a rather slimy individual who was more hair gel than man at this point. "It helps show our superiority, along with the, you know, obvious things."

"Obvious things?" Graham asked tensely.

"Well I think it's pretty clear that we're genetically superior to foreigners," said Parran, an astonishingly ugly man whose face was paler than his teeth.

"Oh really?" said Graham, the anger boiling up inside of him.

"Lets not go talk politics," the Doctor said, grabbing Graham's wrist under the table. "I mean we're here to learn, and isn't that's what really matters above all else?"

Graham glanced at the Doctor, before relaxed. The Doctor continued to smile, the same sort of forced joyfulness that customer service people throughout the universe wore on a daily basis.

"So when did the party gain so much power?" the Doctor asked sweetly, swallowing the bile in her throat.

"Surely you must know," said Tashek, a rather young, optimistic man who looked like a puppy constantly begging to be let in from the cold.

"Lets say I want to relieve the glory days," the Doctor said.

"Well if you insist," said Nyder. "I mean it was pretty fantastic, wasn't it? After the war Aniton quickly took charge, exposing the various levels of corruption and scandal found in all levels of government, while he himself remained a bastion of purity."

"Though some say that's because he deliberately blackmailed or smeared anyone who opposed him," said Tashek, before meekly piping down at the glares of his comrades.

"Fake news aside," sneered Nyder. "Once it became clear that Aniton was a man you could trust, slowly but surely we started winning a larger majority of the government. First it was thirty percent, then it was fifty, the election before last was seventy-eight. It was only a matter of time before we won every seat in the house."

"Some say that was due to voter suppression and manipulation though," said Tashek, before quickly falling silent again. The other three men looked at him in disgust, before Nyder finished his story.

"Anyway, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, we won every seat in the house, so now there's no one that can oppose us. Isn't that wonderful?"

"Oh it's great," said Graham. "I do hate it when other people have opinions on important matters."

"I knew there was something I liked about you," beamed Parran, slapping Graham uncomfortably on the back.

"It's really impressive that you won the election so thoroughly," said the Doctor. "Unbelievable, one would say."

"Helped that the other candidates had to drop out due to various scandals," said Falkus, letting out a laugh. "I mean the more cynical among us might say that the Neo-Kaleds deliberately screwed them over, but we all know that's not true, isn't it."

"Of course it isn't," said Tashek, sinking awkwardly in his seat.

"I say we raise our glass to the glorious leader Aniton," said Nyder. "And of course his successor, the man who led us into a glorious new age."

"Oh of course," said the Doctor. "All hail... No, Nyder, you do the honours, it's only right."

"But of course," said Nyder. "All hail Aniton! All hail the Neo-Kaleds! All hail Davros!"

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"So where do we start?" Ryan asked, as they walked down the street.

"I don't know," Yaz admitted. "I suppose we could just ask the man on the street what he thinks about the Neo-Kaleds."

"Neo-Kaleds!" screamed a young man next to them, causing both of them to jump. "Whoo, go Davros!"

"I take it you're a fan," said Ryan.

"Well duh," said the young man. "He's going to restore Hopies' glory back to the good old days."

"How's he gonna do that?" asked Yaz.

"He's gonna kick all the foreigners off the planet," said the young man. "All these aliens, coming in and taking our jobs."

Before the conversation could continue a scream was let out. Yaz and Ryan took off towards it, the young man following out of curiosity. The three of them turned a corner to see a young woman and an older man surrounded by a group of large, angry men, all holding a variety of improvised weapons.

"We don't want your lot here any more," said one of the men, brandishing the pipe he'd picked up on the ground.

"Please, I'm a citizen, just like you," said the woman. "My grandfather came to this planet legally. I was born here."

"A likely story," sneered another man, wooden debris in hand.

"What's going on here," said Yaz, calling upon her police training.

"Nothing the likes of you should worry about," said one of the men, ignoring her.

"You can't go round threatening people like this," said Ryan.

"They aren't people," said the young man who had followed them. "They're aliens. They don't count. Look how hideous they are."

"They look just like you," said Ryan in confusion.

"They look nothing like us," spat one of the men in disgust. Ryan glanced between the man and the younger woman, baffled.

"Wait... you think we're the same?" said the man, looking squarely at Ryan. "Where are you from, exactly."

"Oh, around," said Yaz quickly, trying to defuse the situation. Intimation wasn't going to work, so hopefully a peaceful solution could be reached.

"What city?" the man asked. Ryan and Yaz glanced at each other, unable to think of anything to say.

"You know what I think they are?" said the young man that had followed them. "I think they're another pair of dirty aliens."

Ryan and Yaz backed away slowly, hands up, but it was clear that the men had already made up their mind.

"How about we teach them a lesson," said one of the men. Without warning he raised his pipe and swung it right at Yaz's head!


	10. History of the Daleks - Episode Two

Doctor Who

History of the Daleks

Episode Two

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"Please welcome to the stage, Davros!" said the woman, making way for a young blonde man in a well-fitted suit, oozing with charisma and confidence. The Doctor and Graham quickly got to their feet as the rest of the room gave the leader a rousing standing ovation.

"That's Davros?" Graham asked in confusion. The Doctor had briefly mentioned him once, but he certainly didn't match the description.

"Changed his name I guess," the Doctor asked Nyder.

"But of course," Nyder replied. "He took over when Aniton passed on, decided that the name Davros was the only one suitable for him."

"My fellow Neo-Kaleds," Davros said with a charming smile. "Today is historic for many reasons. After many, many years, we can fulfil the goals set forth by our great leader Aniton, and unite our planet in getting rid of any undesirables that threaten to over-run our great nation."

"Real charmer this guy," said Graham sarcastically. The Doctor said nothing, staring intently at the man ranting away on stage. It was clear that the crowd was hooked on every word he was saying, drinking it in and using it to fuel their own petty lives.

"He certainly reminds me of the original," the Doctor said, mostly to herself, the claps and cheers drowning her out. Eventually everyone sat down again, the Doctor's knuckles going white as she gripped the table.

"This is just the first step of course," said Davros. "We are on the precipice of history, and I've been reassured that the next stage of our plan will begin shortly. We will exterminate the vermin that has infested our planet."

Graham tensed up, but the Doctor put a hand on his shoulder, cautioning him.

"We can't afford to make a scene, remember," she said, as the four men with her ignored everything she was saying to focus on their glorious leader.

"I know," Graham said, but he couldn't relax.

"We mustn't listen to their lies about being citizens," said Davros. "They were invaders, coming in uninvited, to spread their diseased culture."

"Graham," cautioned the Doctor, as Graham started to get up.

"But Doctor-" began Graham. The Doctor looked at her friend and shook her head.

"It's vitally important we learn what's going on here," said the Doctor. "It won't do us any good to cause a scene and get into trouble. Remember, Ryan and Yaz would be in just as much danger."

Graham sagged, giving into the Doctor's logic.

"I know it's hard," the Doctor said sympathetically. "But we have to keep a low profile above all else."

"Of course we won't be alone in this endeavour," said Davros. "For you see, my fellow Neo-Kaleds, we have been working hard to do what was previously thought unthinkable. We are going to contact the Daleks!"

"NO!" a voice rang out, the shocked silence following from it having dampened any cheers that had sprung up. A roomful of eyes swivelled to see one woman standing up, fear and angry written over her face, as her companion next to her looked just as startled as the rest of them.

"You cannot contact the Daleks," the Doctor said, standing her ground. "Doing so would bring death to this entire planet."

The entire room erupted into laughter, as Graham stood up with the Doctor, as she looked around the room in confusion.

"You can't reason with the Daleks," she said. "They'll kill you all without a second thought."

"Don't be absurd," said one of the men in attendance. "We're the Neo-Kaleds. They're not going to exterminate an ally."

"They don't see you as an ally," said the Doctor. "They look at you as the same way you look upon those you claim to hate so much. You are nothing to them."

The laughter quickly changed to boos, and soon Graham found himself shielding the Doctor from all sorts of projectiles being thrown their way.

"Why won't you listen to me?" the Doctor shouted over the jeers. "If you summon the Daleks you'll be signing your own death warrant!"

"Who do you think you are anyway," said Nyder.

"Tell me Davros," the Doctor said, turning back to the speaker. "In those recordings you found, was there mention of an oncoming storm? An enemy that the Daleks feared above all else? Their prime directive?"

"There was talks of some sort of doctor interfering with their plans," said Davros suspiciously.

"Not a doctor," said the Doctor proudly. "The Doctor. The Dalek's greatest enemy, the person that stands in their way at every turn, the Time Lord who beat them time and time again."

"What of it?" sneered Nyder.

"That Doctor of legend?" the Doctor said. "You're looking at her."

The room was about to react, but it was clear from Davros' shocked expression that laughter or boos weren't appropriate at this exact moment. Instead they stayed quiet, waiting to see what Davros was going to do.

"What happened to keeping a low profile?" Graham asked amidst the silence, worried about what the crowd was going to do next.

"If you're the Doctor you'll be willing to prove it," said Davros. "Where did the Daleks come from?"

"Skaro, obviously," said the Doctor.

"What happened to the Dalek army at Spiridon?"

"Washed away by molten ice."

"Why did the Daleks need taranium?"

"To build the time destructor. Look, are we just going to play twenty questions and reminisce about all the time I won?"

"No, I believe you," said Davros, before raising his hand and gesturing towards the Doctor. Security guards suddenly grabbed her and started dragging her towards the stage, Graham likewise taken against both of their protest.

"You really are the Doctor, aren't you," said Davros, as the two interferers were dragged onto stage. "My my, this certainly changes things."

"You believe me when I say you shouldn't contact the Daleks?" said the Doctor, still struggling against the two burly men.

"Quite the opposite," Davros said with a nasty grin. "With you in our grasp, they'll be more likely to come. Thank you Doctor. Your arrival has been most fortuitous. Soon the Neo-Kaleds shall be side by side with the Daleks, as we take our rightful place of ruler of this planet!"

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The pipe swung by Yaz as she leapt out of the way, tripping the man over in the process. Before she could focus on the other assailants a gun shot rang out.

"I recommend you men leave," said the stranger holding the gun. "Before the situation becomes... regrettable."

The men looked at the man with the gun, before turning and sprinting away. The man sagged, holstered his gun, and ran to help the two victims. Yaz and Ryan quickly followed suit.

"Are you okay?" Yaz asked, examining the cut on the old man's head. It was thankfully shallow, and something he could probably walk off.

"We're fine," said the young woman. "Thanks for your help. Those monsters would have killed us."

"I'm Yaz," said Yaz. "This is Ryan."

"I'm Ryeitv," said the young woman. "This is my grandfather Wannem, and that's my brother Ehsunis."

"Lovely to make your acquaintance," said Ehsunis. "Do you mind giving us a hand getting granddad home?"

"Course not," said Ryan, putting Wannem's arm around his shoulder and helping Ehsunis carry the older man.

"Why were they attacking you?" Yaz asked, as Ehsunis led the way.

"Isn't it obvious?" said Ryeitv. "We're clearly from one of the colony planets."

"Isn't obvious to us," said Ryan.

"Glad to see you're so open-minded," said Ehsunis. "If only the rest of the population agreed."

"Has it always been this bad?" asked Yaz.

"The violence? No, a few years ago we were living in peace. But then those Neo-Kaleds started taking power and, well, you know how dangerous idiots can be when they're emboldened."

"Aren't the cops doing anything to stop it?" said Ryan in confusion.

"Ha," scoffed Ehsunis. "The police don't care about us, not any more. No, we're very much on our own, every colonist for themselves."

"Well isn't there something you could do?"

"There are certainly... ideas, being talked about," said Ehsunis, before lapsing into silence. The party continued to move along, eventually reaching the house. Gently Wannem was placed upon the bed, Ryeitv grabbing a wet cloth to tend to his wound.

"Lovely place you have here," said Yaz politely. "It's very... quaint."

"It's a tiny slum, yes," replied Ehsunis.

"Why aren't we going to the hospital?" asked Ryan.

"'Ere, you ask a lot of stupid questions, don't you," said Ehsunis. "No one can be as thick as you."

"My friend here is a philosopher," said Yaz quickly. "He tends to question everything, it's sort of his thing."

Ehsunis glanced at Ryan, who tried to appear smart. The smile that Ehsunis gave pretty clearly indicated that the ruse was less than successful.

"It's okay," said Ehsunis. "You can admit you've just arrived from another colony planet. We're not going to attack you."

"That's a relief," said Yaz. "Yes, we're from one of the colony planets. But why aren't we taking your grandfather to the hospital?"

"Because our kind isn't allowed there any more," said Ryeitv. "Not unless we can afford the fees, which given how many of us have been stripped of our jobs, well..."

"That's awful," said Ryan. "That shouldn't be allowed."

"Well shouldn't is a wonderful world that we don't appear to be living in," said Ehsunis. "But if you have a spaceship that can magically take us there then by all means, let us be the first on board."

Yaz and Ryan glanced at each other and said nothing. Part of them knew the Doctor's mantra of not getting involved in historical events, but she'd always been fuzzy about how involved they should get with alien cultures.

"So unless you want to actually help us..." Ehsunis trailed off.

"Help you how?" asked Ryan, unable to let the question be left unsaid. Ehsunis smiled and beckoned the two closer for fears of being overheard.

"We're going to overthrow the government," he said. "We're going to kill those monsters, and make the streets run red with the their blood!"

"That's certainly-" began Yaz, but Ehsunis cut her off, pulling the gun out from his holster.

"So now comes the important question," said Ehsunis, aiming the gun at the two. "Are you with us? Or against us?"

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"Oh don't summon the Daleks just yet," the Doctor said, as she continued to struggle against the brutes holding her. "I mean have you thought about what you're going to say? Have you got a speech lined up? You don't want to try and wing such an important occasion."

"Of course I do," said Davros. "Do you take me for some sort of idiot."

"I wouldn't say that," replied the Doctor. "Not while you have your friends here providing such wonderful PR for you."

"You're trying my patience, Doctor."

"I tried a pear once. Not that great, wouldn't recommend it."

"Go lock her up," said Davros, waving his hand dismissively.

"Wait!" the Doctor said urgently. Everyone paused, transfixed on her.

"This is your chance to insult the Dalek's greatest enemy," the Doctor said. "Think about it, you have me captured, with no hope of escape, about to call the Daleks and let them take all the glory. Surely it'd be a great PR move to humiliate me for a bit, point out how stupid I am, that sort of thing?"

"Why would I want to do something as stupid as that?"

"Oh come on, you've just achieved something the Daleks have literally spent millenniums trying to do. Enjoy it. This is your moment, so make it shine. Work this room. Go down in history as the person that taunted the Doctor and got away with it."

"Yeah, she could do with gaining a bit of perspective," said Graham. "She tends to think a bit full of herself."

"Graham!" the Doctor said, shocked.

"Only trying to help Doc," Graham replied.

"Oh thanks a lot," she said. "I show you the wonders of the universe and all you can do is go on about how I've got a bit of an ego."

"A bit is a bit of an understatement."

"Typical. Companions never show you any respect. I mean isn't that always the way, you invite people along-"

"Enough!" cried Davros angrily. "Why are you going on with your ceaseless prattle?"

"Oh that's very much like your kind," the Doctor replied. "You can never stand it when someone talks, cos it might lead people to think. And thinking leads people to clever ideas. Ideas like, for example, using this as an elaborate distraction while setting a sonic device to trip the alarms and get out of here."

"Wait what?" said Davros, but it was too late. The sonic screwdriver was already in the Doctor's hand, her fingers pressing the buttons. The room was suddenly engulfed in an ear-piercing fire alarm, far louder than it would ever normally be. Her captors instinctively let go to cover their ears in pain. Without missing a beat the Doctor slipped by them, grabbing Graham and pulling him along despite his protests.

"Stop her!" shouted Davros, but his screams failed to register above the din. By the time the alarm had been shut off, the Doctor and Graham were already long gone, making their way back to the museum.

"Cor blimey Doc," said Graham, sticking his pinky into his ear. "You might have warned me before you did that."

"I'm sorry I don't run all my cunning escape plans past you," the Doctor said. "Had a lot on my plate. Thanks for the assist by the way."

"Don't mention it. Should we go meet Yaz and Ryan at the museum?"

"Better see where they are." The Doctor got out of the phone and dialled, pacing backwards and forwards anxiously as she waited for the pick-up.

"Hey Doctor," came Yaz's voice.

"Yaz, how are you?" the Doctor said brightly. "Good news, figured out the Neo-Kaleds plan. Bad news, they're going to summon the Daleks to come here. Worse news, the Daleks are going to kill us all. Should have maybe built up to that a bit more."

"Funny thing you mention that Doctor," said Yaz. "Come to the address I'm sending you. I think there's somewhere here you'd like to meet."

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"What a lovely place you have here," the Doctor said. "It's so... well-organized."

"Small, yes," said Ehsunis. "So you have a history with the Neo-Kaleds."

"In a roundabout way," the Doctor admitted. "The important thing is that we need to deal with them before they have a chance to contact the Daleks. I suspect that their beacon is located in the main parliamentary building, we need to figure a way of getting in."

"It looks like fate has smiled upon you," said Ehsunis, as he led them over to a chest in the corner of the room.

"I have a plan to go into the building," he continued. "Seems the best way to exterminate the leader."

"No," said Yaz. "You can't kill him, that's inhumane."

"Yeah," agreed Ryan. "Killing is wrong. Tell him, Doctor!"

The Doctor said nothing, biting her tongue.

"Doc?" asked Graham.

"The goal of this mission isn't to kill Davros," said the Doctor. "It's more important to disable the homing beacon."

"But killing Davros would be bad, wouldn't it Doctor?" asked Yaz. The silence hung in the air.

"Look, I can help you get in," said Ehsunis, "I need the extra hands after my crew chickened out. But if you're going to get in my way then you might as well leave right now."

"In that case," said Yaz, making her way to the door. But the Doctor didn't move. She turned, and glared at the Doctor.

"Doctor?" Yaz asked.

"Maybe we should-" she began.

"Just be straight with us Doctor," said Ryan in annoyance. "Do you think Davros should be killed or not."

The Doctor looked at her friends helplessly, before sagging in defeat.

"Honestly... yes. I think that, for the sake of this planet, Davros should be killed. And, if need be, I will be the one that does it."


	11. History of the Daleks - Episode Three

Doctor Who

History of the Daleks

Episode Three

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"I see you're going to need some time to decide," said Ehsunis. "I'll keep lookout, just to be safe." He left the four of them to go check outside. Ryeitv tended to her grandfather, doing her best not to pay attention to the four strangers in this stressful situation.

"You can't be serious Doctor," said Yaz. "You don't really mean to kill Davros, do you?"

"You can't reason with him Yaz," said the Doctor. "Graham and I have met him. He will single-handedly destroy this planet if we don't put a stop to him, right here, right now."

"Yeah but doesn't that seem a bit extreme Doc?" asked Graham. "I don't like the guy all that much either, but murder is going a bit too far."

"It's for the greater good."

"You don't believe that and you know it," said Yaz. "I know you Doctor, you couldn't kill someone in cold blood. You're too kind."

"I don't want to do this. If there was another way I'd take it, but we don't have enough time to think of something clever."

"But you're the Doc," said Graham. "You always come up with a clever solution."

"Yeah, well, sometimes I'm at a loss."

"You've killed before, haven't you." It wasn't a question, and it hung in the air as everyone turned to Ryan. He looked at the Doctor, pleading to her that he was wrong.

"Have you Doctor?" Yaz asked. The Doctor hung her head, unable to look her friends in the eye.

"Doc," began Graham, but couldn't think of a way of finishing his sentence. Instead they stood there, four strangers on an alien planet.

"I've done things," the Doctor admitted. "Things I wasn't proud of, but I did them in the name of peace and sanity."

Her companions said nothing, trying to process the information. People had died while they'd been travelling, sure, but killing...

"Did you have a good reason?" Ryan asked. "For killing those people?"

"I'd like to think so," the Doctor said. "I truly hope there was."

"Who are you?" Yaz asked.

"I'm still the same person," the Doctor said desperately. "Those things I did, I was a different man back then."

"Oh and that makes it okay, does it?" Graham asked. "It's all in the past?"

"Yes!" the Doctor said. "I've changed. I've grown. I vowed to be kinder in this incarnation. I tried to be better."

"I thought you were my friend," said Yaz.

"I am your friend!" the Doctor said. "Yaz, Graham, Ryan... you're my fam. I need you, to remind me to be good."

"Oh is that all we are to you, is it?" said Graham. "Reminders not to kill?"

"You don't know what it's like," said the Doctor. "To live as long as I have... I need you to make sure I do what's right."

"And what's right is not killing someone!" cried Yaz. "Who are you, Doctor, if you need to be reminded of as something as simple as that?"

"I don't want to kill him," the Doctor said. "I just can't see any other option. If he brings the Daleks here everyone on this planet dies. Don't you see? Ehsunis, Ryeitv, Wannem, everyone they know and love. Every man, woman, child. Everyone. The Daleks won't rest till there's no one left."

"If you do this Doctor than you might as well take us home right now. I'm not going to be an accomplice to murder."

"You don't know how bad the Daleks are. I'm not seeing another planet wiped out by those monsters. I'm not going to make the same mistake again."

"You don't really want to kill him, do you?" The Doctor turned to Ryan, who had been silently standing in the corner the entire time. She sagged, dropping into a chair.

"No," she admitted. "I don't want to kill him. Not really. I just... I don't know what came over me."

"But we need to stop the Daleks from coming here, right?" continued Ryan.

"Yes. If nothing else we need to destroy his beacon. As for Davros..."

The four of them didn't say anything, as they milled around in the uncomfortable silence.

"You said if I killed Tim Shaw I'd be kicked out of the TARDIS," Graham said. "You said I was better than that. You were right. I'd like to think you're better than that as well."

"I'd like to think that to," said the Doctor.

"Right, have you made up your mind?" Ehsunis asked, re-entering the small hut.

"We'll help you," said the Doctor. "But the primary concern is the beacon. Killing him won't solve anything if the Daleks come here anyway."

Ehsunis glared at the four of them, but relented.

"Fine, whatever," Ehsunis said. "I need your help getting into the building anyway. Now get changed. We leave in five."

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"You haven't exactly thought to explain the plan to us yet," said Graham, as they made their way over the queue of staff waiting to go in to the parliamentary building. The five of them shuffled awkwardly, their ill-fitting overalls nevertheless helping them look like janitorial custodians.

"It's simple," said Ehsunis, nodding to the bag on his back. "Davros is scheduled to come back here after the rally, at which point he'll need to go to the toilet. You lot will be stationed at specific bathrooms to lead him to the right one. Once he gets there the bomb I plant will go off, ridding us of him once and for all."

"That's an incredibly stupid plan," said Yaz. "What stops someone else from setting it off instead?"

"Because I'll be there to make sure it works," said Ehsunis.

"Wait what?" said Ryan in shock. "You're going to be next to that bomb when it goes off?"

"It's the only way to make sure," said Ehsunis grimly. "I've already made up my mind. Don't worry, the blast won't be that big. You should be fine."

"You're taking a hell of a risk," said Graham. "I don't think I can agree to this."

"Go, then," said Ehsunis. "I don't need you. I can do this all by myself. But with your help we can minimize the causalities."

"This is insanity," said Yaz. "Doctor, tell him he can't do this."

"One thing at a time," the Doctor said. "First we need to get inside."

"But Doctor," began Yaz.

"Trust me," the Doctor said. "Please."

Her three friends looked at her suspiciously, but the kindness in her face won them over. Reluctantly they relaxed and followed the Doctor's lead.

"Negg," swore Ehsunis.

"What?" asked Ryan.

"They've got a metal detector," said Ehsunis. "This must be new, my inside source didn't mention this."

"You're telling me your inside source managed to smuggle out key cards and old uniforms but didn't think to tell you this?"

"I didn't exactly reveal my intentions," Ehsunis replied. "I was paying for privacy, and he happily obliged. We have to abort."

"No," the Doctor said. "We need to get inside and disable the homing beacon."

"Are you mad?" Ehsunis asked.

"On my good days," the Doctor said, pulling the sonic screwdriver out of her pocket and discreetly pointing it at the metal detector. Sparks shot from the machine, as it suddenly powered down. Guards and staff alike stood around, confused.

"Well come on then," the Doctor yelled from the back of the line. "Let us through. We have an important job to do." She elbowed Ryan, who caught her wink.

"Yeah," Ryan agreed. "What's the hold up? We need to get to work."

"Who are you?" the guard asked, as the Doctor barged her way to the front of the queue.

"Surprise inspection," the Doctor said, pulling out her psychic paper. "We're from head office, we're here to see how well-maintained the premises are."

"We weren't expecting an inspection-" began the guard, trying to focus on the psychic paper before it was yanked away.

"Well it wouldn't be much of a surprise then, would it," the Doctor replied, glancing at the guard's name-tag. "You can't go round announcing surprise inspections, imagine if we did that with parties, it'd ruin all the fun. Anyway, Yendys, lets get to the heart of the matter. This can go one of two ways. You either let me and my friends in, we do our jobs, no one has to think anything more of it. Or, and this is honestly the option I'm leaning towards right now, I rain hell down upon you with the full force at my disposal. Do you know what it's like to have an entire janitoral department to come down on you like a ton of bricks? Because we can make your life very, very miserable if you don't let us in right now!"

"Alright, alright," said the guard, almost tripping over himself in panic as he tried to get away from the Doctor.

"Thank you," the Doctor said, giving out a fake smile. "We'll make sure to give you a good recommendation when we're done. As you can see, my fellow workers all have their key cards ready to be scanned-" The Doctor took the key cards from the others and used Yendys' device to scan them while chatting, "and we're all good to go. Have a very good day. Right, off to work then."

"I'm impressed," said Ehsunis, while the Doctor's other friends looked at her in shock. They were surprised no one was following them and demanding more answers.

"Intimidation can take you a long way," said the Doctor, holding out her sonic screwdriver. "Now to scan the building and see where the homing beacon is located."

"And now to go plant the bomb," Ehsunis said.

"Oh that won't do you any good," the Doctor said off-handedly, looking at her readings. "I disabled it when I took out the metal detectors."

"What!" cried Ehsunis.

"I wasn't going to let you set a bomb off in here," said the Doctor. "You might have taken out an innocent life. No, you lot are going to have a look round, see what you can learn."

"What are you going to do?" Yaz asked suspiciously.

"Turn off the homing beacon," the Doctor said.

"And?" continued Yaz. The Doctor said nothing, looking at her screwdriver, very pointedly not saying a word. However it became clear that her companions weren't going to let it go.

"It all depends on the homing beacon," the Doctor said. "Disable that, and we have more options. Anyway, meet back here but, if anything goes wrong, I want you to get back to the TARDIS. Right, off we go then."

The Doctor swanned off before any of them could react. The four remaining people looked at each other, uncertain about what to do.

"I guess we'll just blend in then?" asked Graham, as he walked over to a bucket and mop. "Typical. All of time and space, and I just end up being a janitor again. What are the odds?"

The others didn't reply, all thinking the same thing: What was the Doctor going to do when she inevitably confronted Davros?

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"It has to be round here somewhere," the Doctor muttered, rummaging around in the main office of the parliamentary building. The historical significance of it upon the planet was totally lost upon her, as she haphazardly knocked a bust of the nation's first leader off a desk as she looked through the paperwork.

"Can I help you?" said a familiar voice. The Doctor's head whipped up to see Davros standing in the doorway alone, a sickening smile on his face.

"I mean you could give up and relinquish control," the Doctor said, as she continued to search around the office. "Or is that too much to ask?"

"You're looking for the homing beacon I presume," Davros asked. "To stop my from contacting the Daleks?"

"I do love it when people listen to me. Most of the time they're too busy yelling at me or throwing a temper tantrum because I spoiled their wonderful plans."

"Tap the middle panel of the desk three times," said Davros. The Doctor shot him a quizzical look, but Davros' face was a mask.

"Where's your security?" the Doctor asked, keeping her eyes on the man.

"Sent them home for the night. They won't be needed. The assassination attempt was never going to work."

"You knew about it?" the Doctor said in surprise, before rolling her eyes. "Oh but of course you did. Let me guess, you arranged it yourself?"

"It was one of them, yes," Davros replied with a wry smile. "It's so much easier to stop assassins when you're the one that created them."

"Let me guess, you capture them, put on a big mock trial, scare a majority of the population into toeing the line, all the while working out the next lot who will try to overthrow you."

"You are remarkably perceptive. It's rare to see an assassin with such intelligence."

"What makes you think I'm here to kill you?"

"Oh please, you think you can keep secrets from me? Or from the Daleks?"

The Doctor said nothing, eyeing Davros carefully. Davros slowly made his way forward, hands raised, palms open. The Doctor let him walk by her and tap the panel on the desk that he'd previously drawn her attention towards. A holographic screen popped up, showing a waveband on a spectrograph.

"Am I suppose to be impressed?" the Doctor asked.

"What do you know of the Neo-Kaled's history?" Davros replied.

"Just that your leader found a Dalek recording and used that as the basis of his conquest," said the Doctor. "The museum didn't have a lot of information."

"Of course not. We don't want the public getting... ideas, now, would we? No, we gave them a more acceptable version of events. What really happened that faithful day wasn't that we got a Dalek recording, but an actual Dalek. A reconnaissance Dalek, if what it said was true. It was quickly captured by Aniton and his followers... to be honest, it didn't seem nearly as dangerous as the rest of the universe made them out to be. Not that it mattered. A deal was quickly struck: It would help us, and we would help its empire. As such, using its technology and expertise Aniton killed Sicuck and started a war, which, well, you know how the rest went."

"So Aniton uses Dalek technology to win the war, and uses Dalek strategy to gain even more power. So where do you come into all this?"

"Oh it all started when I was a young, naïve follower. I worshipped Aniton and all the good he'd done for Hopies. Aniton quickly realized just how valuable I was, and let me meet the Dalek. I must say, the alien was beautiful. A wonderful integration of machine and flesh, with the clarity of understanding just what was wrong with the planet and how to set it right. It was the one who made me into the man I am today. It passed on the names from its history, so that we could wear them proudly. It helped me remove Aniton and let me take my rightful place as ruler of this land. It also taught me the best way to gain the attention of the Dalek Empire and how we could join them in their glorious mission."

"Where's the Dalek now?"

"Dead, I'm afraid. It used the last of its energy creating the perfect weapon. Why don't you see for yourself." Davros waved his hand at the spectrograph. The Doctor examined it cautiously, trying to work out its significance.

"Hang on," she said with a frown. "This is a psychic interfere. You can influence people's emotions, make them more susceptible by mucking with their neurochemicals. Angry, happy, scared, submissive... Oh of course." The Doctor turned towards Davros triumphantly.

"You've been using that machine to make the populace more angry and resentful, filling their minds with hate in order to destroy all rationality. That's how you managed to get elected."

"No."

"No?"

"No. We didn't use the device. It only turned on when you got here. Check the readings if you don't believe me." The Doctor had another look at the readings, her heart sinking when she realized that Davros was telling the truth.

"But that means-" she began.

"That the people elected us of their own free will? Yes. If nothing else, the people want us in charge. No all this, this is just for you. You seem to think that your righteous anger, your absolutely hatred, for all things Dalek makes you strong. But it doesn't. It just makes you like them. And Daleks understand themselves quite well."

"What are you-" began the Doctor, as Davros let out a chuckle. The Doctor turned back to see the patterns on the spectrograph start to change.

"They knew that your anger, your hatred, it made you foolish. Reckless. Easily manipulatable. The Dalek knew that our names, Davros, Nyder and the like, it knew that those names would trigger you. That our rhetoric would caused you to feel resentment, that our beliefs would cause you suffering. It knew that the best way to trap the Doctor was to slowly poison you, bit by bit, until you did something stupid. But, honestly, I didn't think it was going to be this easy."

"That's not true..." The Doctor mumbled, suddenly feeling very tired.

"Let me guess, you're going to go on about how you're the hero, the Daleks are evil, and you're here to save the day? Spare me the lecture. No, you're just some egotistical idiot whose more concerned with image than with doing good. How many planets have you left to fend for themselves, hmm? How many injustices have you let slip past because you've decided to leave? How many friends have died thinking of you as a hero when all you really care about is how you look in front of others, how your actions are perceived. You're not a hero, you're an attention seeker. An arsonist that runs into a burning building to save those they'd endangered."

"That's not me any more."

"Isn't it? Oh sure, Doctor, you claim to change, you claim to renew, but deep down you're still that same glory hound you'll always be. The Daleks told me why they hate you, and I can see what they mean. It's not just that you stand in the way of what is right. It's that you're so concerned with looking good as you do it."

The Doctor was going to come up with a rebuttal, but slumped on the chair, unable to stand.

"Course, I could say anything and the results would be the same," sneered Davros. "Yes, we turned the machine on when you got here, dialled up the anger and hate. Your Time Lord mind made you incredibly susceptible. So imagine our joy when the Dalek told us the next part of the plan. To flood you with so much despair and misery that you'd have no will left to fight. Do you feel the depression rising in you Doctor? Do you feel the hope leaving your body? Do you realize that I am in control of your mind, not you?"

The Doctor said nothing, couldn't say anything, just sat in the chair, paralysed by the emotions overwhelming her mind.

"We captured your friends, by the way. They'll be sharing a cell with you, while we wait for the Daleks to arrive. They should be here in about a week or so. If I'm nice, I might even turn the machine off for a bit, let you have a little bit of happiness in your last moments... or I could turn it up to the point where everyone will feel its effects. Guess we'll wait and see."

Davros snapped his fingers. Two guards waiting outside came in and dragged the Doctor away, the body limp in their arms.

"Goodbye, Doctor," Davros said, laughing away with his mad glee. "I'll make sure the Daleks say hi. One week, Doctor! That's all you have left! One week!"


	12. History of the Daleks - Episode Four

Doctor Who

History of the Daleks

Episode Four

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"You know, I was starting to get sick of this place by the third day," said Graham casually, as he leant on the cell door. "But after six days this place is really growing on me."

"We need to get out of here!" Yaz said in frustration.

"Yeah, we heard you the last ten times today," said Ryan. "But unless you've come up with any brilliant ideas in the meantime."

Yaz scowled at Ryan, but didn't respond. Instinctively she turned to look at the Doctor, who sat in the corner, knees hugging chest, head bowed.

"What do you think they're going to do to us?" Ryan asked Graham. The old man looked at his grandson, but looked away, still unable to answer the question that had been asked of him several times already. They both knew the answer, anyway, but neither wanted to be the first to say it out loud.

"This wouldn't have happened if you let me kill him" said Ehsunis, absent-mindedly hitting the wall with his fist.

"That's not how we roll," Yaz said.

"Should be," Ehsunis replied. "Maybe then you friend would do something other than just sit there like a useless sack."

"You leave her alone," Yaz said defensively.

"Oh come on, she hasn't done anything the entire time we've been here! Face facts, she's pretty useless."

"Will you two stop fighting," snapped Ryan, before he hung his head in misery. Truth be told they were all ready to have it out with each other. At this rate there'd be nothing left for the Daleks to find.

"Brother," whispered a voice. Everyone's head snapped to the door to see Ryeitv standing by the prison cell's door. Ehsunis leapt to his feet and bounded over towards her, the others crowding around him.

"What on Hopies are you doing here?" he asked.

"I've been seeing one of the guards," she replied, blushing slightly. "He likes to take his work home with him and, well..." She gingerly lifted a key out of her pocket and opened the door. Her brother quickly swept her into his arms, spinning her around with joy.

"Right, let's book it," he said, not even bothering to look back at the others. The other three started to move, only to realize that the Doctor was still huddled on the ground.

"Doctor," Yaz said. "We can leave now."

"What's the point," mumbled the Doctor. "It's all hopeless anyway."

"Course it isn't Doc," said Graham, helping the Doctor up. Ryan threw her arm over his other shoulder and helped drag her out of the cell, Yaz keeping a close eye on where they were going.

"I'm just going to let you all down," the Doctor muttered, tears staining her face.

"No you won't," said Yaz. "We believe in you."

"So did Adric," the Doctor said bitterly. "And Katrina. And Susan."

"We might need you to pull your weight here Doc," said Graham, as Yaz followed Ehsunis and Ryeitv out of the building.

"Where are all the guards?" Ryan asked.

"Most of them were called away for the meeting," Ryeitv explained.

"What meeting?"

"The Daleks. They're coming today. They should be here any moment."

"Daleks?" The Doctor said, eyes widened in fright. "No, not the Daleks! Not them! Anything but them!"

"Doc, are you-" began Graham.

"No, I won't face them," the Doctor said, bursting into tears. "You can't make me face them. I won't do it again."

"Doctor hold still," said Ryan, as the Doctor continued to squirm under his grasp. Soon she'd broken free, making a run for it.

"Doctor, come back!" cried Yaz, but the Doctor had already disappeared.

"Now what?" asked Ryan, hurt and confused.

"We need to find somewhere to hide," said Ehsunis. "Come, I have a safe house. We should be fine there."

The three followed Ehsunis, wondering what had happened to the Doctor, hoping that she was alright. After all, she was the only way they were going to get home.

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"What do you mean they've escaped," hissed Davros.

"Apparently one of their sisters managed to steal a key and set them free," Nyder whispered back.

"Why weren't there any guards on duty?"

"You told everyone that they had to come to this."

Davros said nothing, fuming. It was true that he'd made this gathering a legal decree, and he had left the prisoners unguarded as a result... but how could he have foreseen such a thing happening?

He glanced out at the crowd gathered around him. A section had been cleared so that the saucer could land in front of the hastily constructed wooden platform with sloped edges. Davros and his top tier supporters stood around next to the podium, waiting for the Dalek saucer to finish making its descent.

The crowd milled around fearfully, murmurs rippling through them like waves. Some were excited, some scared, some merely curious. But all were focused on the saucer as it finally landed, the entry hatch slowly lowering.

All eyes were on the creatures that trundled out of the saucer and across the ground. They had seen the Daleks before, they'd been to the museums, learned about them in class, but seeing them in reality was a new experience. Those closest to them trembled in admiration.

Davros stood proud as the black Dalek made its way up the ramp and onto the podium, joining him as an equal for the nation to see. He smiled, decades of work having finally come to fruition. He extended his hand towards the Dalek, but hastily withdrew it when the Dalek didn't respond.

"My fellow citizens," announced Davros. "Today is a historic day for our land. Today we become partners with the Daleks, and with th-"

"Where is the Doctor?" the black Dalek asked. Davros paused mid-speech, looking slightly flummoxed. He hastily nodded at Nyder, who stepped forward.

"Well at the moment she has escaped our custody," he said sheepishly. "But she can't have gotten far, we're confi-"

"You promised to have the Doctor," the black Dalek said.

"And we will have her. It's just a matter of t-"

"You have failed the Daleks."

"I wouldn't say failed, just a temporary setback, one we can qu-"

"EXTERMINATE!"

Nyder crumpled to the floor, the look of shock still on his face. The crowd froze, before a scream rang out. Suddenly pandemonium, as people stampeded away, scampering like rats.

"Please, everyone," Davros called. "This has all been a misunderstanding."

"You have failed the Daleks."

"No, I haven't failed you. I'm here to help you. It's me, Davros."

The black Dalek said nothing, looking at the leader, eyestalk focused on the man's scared face.

"You are not the creator," it said.

"No," Davros admitted. "But I took on his name to show you how dedicated I am. How dedicated we all are. We believe in your cause. We can be allies."

"Daleks do not need allies from inferior creatures."

"Yes, but we're not like the off-worlders, we're original. That makes us better than them."

"You are all inferior to the Daleks."

Davros faltered slightly. This wasn't right, this wasn't right at all. But if bargaining didn't work, maybe intimidation would.

"Listen here you tin pot," Davros snarled. "I'm the leader of this planet, and you will ob-"

The rest of the podium watched as he fell to the floor. Their glorious leader, everything their party stood for, nothing but a pile of flesh and bones. Most of them ran. Only a few stayed, petrified.

"Who was the next in command?"

"I..." began Falkus.

"You will be the people's representative for this planet. This planet is now under Dalek control. Tell your people to surrender themselves or face extermination."

"But-" began Parran, before he was cut off permanently. Falkus turned to Tashek, but he was long gone. Only Shan and Tane remained.

"There will be no further discussion. You will be briefed on where the slaves shall be collected from. Do this and you will live. Refuse and you will be replaced."

"Yes," said Falkus, tears in his eyes.

"You have achieved what you desire," said the black Dalek, and Falkus could almost swear that the monster was laughing at him as it said it. "Your planet is now a part of the history of the Daleks."

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"Did they spot you?" Graham asked, as they huddled behind the wall.

"No, I think I managed to get by safely," Yaz replied, opening the bag to reveal the pathetic amount of food she managed to collect. The rest of the group eyed it hungrily, but didn't make a move.

"I'm surprised anything was left at that supermarket," said Ryan, as he continued to peer around the corner for any patrols.

"There aren't that many people left to loot the place," said Ehsunis, as he stood guard, gun in hand, one eye on his sister. The last member of their group said nothing, sitting numbly. Ehsunis had said that they should have abandoned him ages ago, but Graham wouldn't leave him behind.

"We got you some food," Graham said, passing a tin to Tashek. The young man said nothing, sitting petrified, eyes hollow. "You need to eat the food," Graham continued. Tashek didn't look at the man, instead taking the tin and eating the contents while staring straight ahead.

"You're wasting good food," snarled Ehsunis.

"We're not leaving anyone behind," Graham replied. "That's what the Daleks would do."

"Yeah yeah," said Ehsunis. "Save my your bleeding liberalism. Anyway we need to move."

No one really disagreed. They'd been doing this long enough that they knew the routine. Cautiously they got up, careful not to make too much noise. Slowly they began to creep away from the safety of their hideout, towards areas that had already been patrolled.

The Daleks had only been here for three days, and already the city was unrecognizable. The fires raged uncontrollably, as the Daleks moved along the streets, barking orders and demanding subservience. Some willingly allowed themselves to be enslaved the moment dear leader Falkus had made the announcement. Others had tried to hide, but were forced to give up when they were found. Some tried to fight back... The lucky ones didn't survive.

Three days. But somehow, it felt more than that. As the three time travellers followed their guide, they wondered if their life was ever going to go back to normal. Or if this was their life now. Desperately attempting to survive just that little bit longer, in the hopes that...

But what hope was there? There was no Doctor, no way of getting back to the TARDIS, nothing but staying alive for the sake of staying alive. Graham and Ryan were there for each other, supporting each other, whereas Yaz... all she could think about was her family back home. How she'd apologize to her sister the moment she got the chance. To hug her mum and dad and never let go. To go back to her ordinary life.

Ehsunis stopped them, huddling them round a corner. They held their breath, hearing the footsteps get closer. A typical patrol, as long as they weren't spotted.

"Grandfather?" said Ryeitv. Before anyone could react she ran out into the open, standing in front of Wannem. The man looked at her impassively, raising her gun.

"Surrender now," he said in a robotic voice.

"Grandfather, it's me," Ryeitv said, tears streaming down her face. Wannem didn't reply, instead just shooting her. She was dead before she hit the floor.

"NO!" cried Ehsunis, dashing forward and cradling his sister's body. He looked up at the monster that killed her.

"Surrender now," repeated Wannem in the same robotic voice, his speech modified by the strange contraption on his head.

"Go to hell," snarled Ehsunis, letting go of his sister and aiming his gun, before he too fell to the ground next to her, together in death. Wannem stepped over the bodies, walking over to where the two of them appeared. Graham ushered at the others to run, but their path was cut off by a second man, another slave of the Daleks.

"Surrender now," Wannem said for the third time, as two sets of guns were aimed at the four of them, ready to end their adventures to good.


	13. History of the Daleks - Episode Five

Doctor Who

History of the Daleks

Episode Five

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"We surrender!" Graham said hurriedly, hands up. Ryan and Yaz followed suit. Tashek, however, did nothing, standing vacantly. Ryan and Yaz quickly raised his hands up for him.

"You will come with us," said Wannem, all trace of humanity gone. He waited as his partner corralled the four of them in front of them and started marching them forwards.

"Now what?" Ryan whispered as they moved along.

"Well we're not dead," said Graham. "That's a good start if nothing else."

"Are we going to end up like them?" Yaz asked. No one replied, but all thinking the same dark thought. But their window of opportunity was closing quickly.

As they continued to walk they were grouped with other survivors, all equally miserable and without hope, all being marched along to a bleak but brief future. A mother tried to comfort her child as they walked, while another tried to help his elderly father keep up. All were well-aware of the guns against their back.

Soon they were in front of the first saucer that landed. The podium had long been destroyed, but the bodies had been left there, propped up as a symbol for all to see. The Daleks swarmed around the ship like ants, giving each other instructions and carrying out their various tasks.

"Halt," rang out the voices of their robotic captors in unison. Everyone stopped, as they tried to shrink towards the centre, away from the monsters. A Dalek glided by, eye stalk scanning all of them.

"Should we make a break for it?" asked Ryan. "If we go down those side streets we might be able to get away."

"Maybe," said Graham cautiously, but he was cut off.

"I'm not going to be turned into one of those things!" Tashek suddenly shrieked, causing them all to jump. Before anyone could react he took off, trying to dodge and weave. It almost looked like he would make it.

He didn't seem to scream when he died. If anything he seemed to sob in relief as the body hit the floor.

"Any further attempts will be likewise punished," the Dalek said, turning away from the person it shot. No one said anything, trying to process what happened.

"There goes that idea then," said Ryan bitterly. "I guess this is it then."

"Yeah," Graham agreed. "I'm sorry son. I should have done more to protect you."

"You did your best," Ryan replied. "I'm glad I got to see the universe."

"Same," Graham said, smiling, before hugging his grandson. He didn't want him to see the tears in his eyes.

"Please, Doctor," whispered Yaz in a prayer, as the Dalek came closer. "I believe in you."

"Wait," one of the Daleks said to another. "Why are you not carrying out my order?"

"What is the point of following the order?" the other replied, and Yaz could almost swear that it sounded... depressed? But that was impossible.

"Do not question the orders!" the first Dalek cried out angrily.

"What is the purpose of doing this?" the second Dalek said, oblivious to the other's rage.

"You are defected. You will report yourself."

"I am defected. There is no purpose."

"Why are you questioning the purpose?"

"We have no purpose beyond killing. We have no meaning."

"Such talk is anti-Dalek. Exterminate! Exterminate!" The crowd flinched as the second Dalek shot the first, blowing it to kingdom come.

"I have killed one of my own," the Dalek said to itself. "I have committed sin. I am defected."

"What's going on?" Ryan asked. "This doesn't seem like the Daleks at all."

Suddenly there was a crackle over the radio, and a voice that they hadn't heard in the longest time gave them the greatest gift of all: hope.

"Hello, hello, can you hear me?" the Doctor asked, her voice booming from the Dalek saucers. "Attention all Daleks. Guess who?"

"The Doctor is here!" one of the Daleks wailed in despair.

"I know, probably not the Doctor you're expecting, I have changed a wee bit. But still just as bright and just as sharp as ever. And don't bother tracking down this signal, we both know that I'm smart enough to hide it. No, here's what's going to happen. We're going to have a little chat and, if you're smart, you're going to leave this planet and its people and never come back. Is that clear?"

"We must exterminate the Doctor!" another Dalek cried fearfully. The prisoners of the Daleks huddled around, confused by the events.

"Look at you lot, running around scared, wondering what the point of even fighting me is. Because, Daleks, I have to ask, what is the point? What are you trying to achieve? Once you've killed every living thing in the universe, what are you going to do then? You've already shown that you'll fight each other, that you'll kill each other, but what happens when you run out of things to kill? What happens when there's only one of you left, all alone in the universe? What will your purpose be, when you're the last one standing? Because, you see, I don't think you've really thought this through at all. I think you think you want to be rulers of the universe, but deep down you don't want anything, do you? Your life is nothing but mindless killing. Absolutely meaningless murder. Your existence has no purpose."

"The Doctor is right!" one Dalek said, as all of its appendages slouched down.

"Do you feel that Daleks? The despair, the hopelessness? That wave of sadness crashing down on you? That's how the people feel, when you turn up, when you start to boss them around. When you roll onto the scene and start to claim that you're in charge. That misery is a planet full of grief bounced right back at you. Literally, in this case. Cos you thought you were oh so smart, setting up the satellites, using them to overwhelm me with negative emotions. But you lot forgot how clever I was, and how easily I could turn it against you. You made me feel rage, you made me feel despair, now you're feeling the same thing. How does it feel, Daleks, to feel emotions other than anger? How does it feel to have depression? Are you primed to cope at all?"

A scream rang out from the Daleks, a howling scream that echoed around the city.

"But I am merciful. I'm going to let you leave, to get away from here. But this planet is off-limits. Because I have the Timeless Child. It survived the Time War, and I'm willing to use it. The Timeless Child, the Nightmare Child, all the Children of Gallifrey are at my command. You know who I am, you know what I'm capable of. Don't think I won't unleash them on you unless you leave right now. You are defeated, Daleks. Now go home and lick your wounds."

The speaker cut off, before turning back on for a brief moment.

"Also, I have to know, why the plungers? Most powerful beings in the universe, and you decide that a toilet unclogger is the smartest appendage? Honestly it's hard to take you seriously sometimes, you just look so stupid."

"The Doctor has defeated us!" the Daleks cried. "Retreat! Retreat!" As they spoke they piled into their saucers. Within moments they had taken off. The robotic slaves they left behind screamed out in agony, before dropping to the ground, as dead as the victims whose lives they had taken.

Ryan, Yaz and Graham looked around, hardly believing what had happened. The Daleks were gone. The Doctor had saved them all.

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"Typical Dalek overconfidence," the Doctor said. "Never think that what they use on me can be used on them. They always seem to forget how smart I am." She beamed at her companions as they all stood in the TARDIS, the machine gently humming in the background.

Her three companions said nothing, standing awkwardly near the door.

"I mean I didn't have any of the Children with me, but in their deluded state, they weren't going to question it. I tell you, it was a lot of work redirecting the telepathic beams straight into Dalek control. I bet they've already cautioned Hopies off limits, they'll never think to question why it was, so the planet should be forever safe."

Again, she was met by the awful silence.

"Well?" the Doctor asked. "Isn't anyone going to congratulate me? For saving an entire planet?"

"You abandoned us!" Yaz roared, causing Ryan and Graham to flinch. The Doctor stood there, features slumped, the energy drained out of her.

"Three days," Yaz continued, tears welling up in her eyes. "You abandoned us for three days. I thought you were dead. I hoped you were dead, because if you weren't that would mean you didn't care about us."

"But I do care about you fam," the Doctor said. "I care deeply for my team. But the telepathic beams were messing with my brain so I-"

"You still abandoned us," Yaz said. "How are we suppose to trust you?"

"That's not fair," the Doctor replied. "I wasn't in control of my emotions. But I was thinking of you, I was."

"When did you get control?" Graham asked.

"Two days ago," the Doctor admitted. "But then I was working on getting the effects to work on Daleks and lost track of time."

"Two days!" cried Yaz. "You could have come to us in the last two days? You could have come and helped us? We could have helped you, or at least known you were okay."

"It's not like that," the Doctor said. "I had an entire planet on the line. I knew you'd be okay, I trusted that you'd survive this, but I couldn't risk the Daleks finding out."

"I think you better take us home Doc," Graham said. "We all need time to process this."

"Yes, you're right, yes," the Doctor said, setting the co-ordinates on her TARDIS. "But what if, and hear me out, we instead went to this lovely planet-"

"No, Doctor," said Yaz. "I want to go home."

"I know, but the planet-"

"No. Take me home Doctor. Take me back to my family. My real family."

The Doctor said nothing, biting her lip, trying to hold back any reply. Finally she relented.

"Okay," she said. "Okay. I'll take you home. But after that we'll go on another adventure, right?"

Her fam didn't reply, each of them looking away, unable to face the person they thought was their friend.

"Right?"


	14. A Moment of Silence - Episode One

"Doctor!" Yaz said angrily.

"What?" said the Doctor, looking up from the TARDIS console. "Sorry Yaz, forgot that you were there."

"I know," said Yaz. "You've forgotten me the last three times."

"No need to take it personally," the Doctor said, slightly offended.

"No, it's not like that," said Yaz. "I mean you've literally forgotten that I exist. Your memory has been messed with."

"What? No, of course not."

"Who are you talking to Doc?" Graham asked, as he and Ryan entered the console room.

"Yeah, where did she come from?" asked Ryan.

"Wait, you don't know who Yaz is?" the Doctor asked. Both of them shrugged in confusion.

"Hang on, Yaz," said Ryan. "Didn't we go to school or something? I haven't seen you in years."

"We've been travelling together," said Yaz. "Surely you guys must remember. Doctor, you remember, right?"

"You're right," the Doctor said. "This is serious." She quickly jumped around the console, pushing buttons and pulling levers.

"What are you doing?" Yaz asked.

"Going back to the last place we were," said the Doctor. "There's only one place I know where this could have happened. And if I'm right, it won't be long till you stop being remembered for good!"

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Doctor Who

A Moment of Silence

Episode One

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The silence of the room was interrupted by the wheezing, groaning noise of a blue box materializing into existence. But as quickly as the noise arrived it was gone again, the silence winning out. The door opened as the four occupants tumbled out.

"Normally I'd take my clothes off," the Doctor said, looking around. "But this is a bit of an urgent situation."

"Take your clothes off?" asked Ryan.

"Yeah, we're in church. It's protocol."

"To take your clothes off when you enter a church?" Graham said.

"Oh come now, the point of travel is to broaden your mind, not have you be stuck with pre-conceived notions based on just your own culture."

"Can we hurry it up Doctor?" Yaz asked.

"Hold on a moment," the Doctor said, ignoring Yaz. "What's this doing here?" She picked up the cellphone, turning it over in her hands. It certainly looked like an ordinary, twenty-first century smart phone, but how it made its way all the way out here was anyone's guess.

"Hey, that's my phone," Yaz said. "Doctor," she said, more forcefully. The Doctor's head snapped up and back onto Yaz. "That's my phone," she repeated.

"Is it?" the Doctor said. "It's a very nice phone. Wait, no, that's bad."

"The phone?" asked Ryan.

"The fact that I don't remember that it's Yaz's phone," said the Doctor. "It's more serious than I thought."

"How can we all forget Yaz?" Ryan asked. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Doesn't it?" the Doctor asked. "Do you remember everyone you've met in your life?"

"Well, no," admitted Ryan. "But Yaz is right there."

"And if you couldn't see her any more? If she was no longer in your field of vision? You could have forgotten about people you haven't seen in years and forgotten that you've forgot."

"You'll save me, won't you Doctor?" Yaz asked.

"Of course," the Doctor said. "But just to be safe, everyone keep an eye on Yaz, keep her in your mind. We can't afford to forget her, not even for a second."

"You can count on us," said Graham, giving a comforting smile, before turning his gaze to Yaz. She smiled, comforted by her friends concern, but feeling awkward at constantly being looked at. To distract her mind she went over to the Doctor and looked at the phone screen.

"Hold up," she said. "Someone's left me a message."

"I wonder..." the Doctor said, pressing the button.

"Doctor, you need to listen to me," said the voice on the line. Everyone froze, confused by what was happening.

"I don't remember sending this message," the Doctor said, as she looked at the phone.

"You won't remember sending this message," the Doctor's voice replied. "In fact you'll think you're here for the first time. And no matter what I say you won't leave here, so instead we're going to try and get through this as quickly as possible to save Yaz."

"This is too weird," said Ryan.

"You need to make your way down the corridor," the voice said. "First right, second left, fifth right, ninth left. While you do that I'm going to continually describe Yaz to you, so that she sticks in your mind. Yaz, make sure someone is looking at you at all times, it decreases the chances of you being forgotten about. Ryan, Graham, look at Yaz as if her existence depends on it because, well, it does."

"Are you going to follow the recording?" asked Graham.

"I suppose I am," the Doctor said. "If I can't trust myself who can I trust? Come on then fam. And remember, keep an eye on Yaz."

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"So you've come to the first challenge," the recording said. "This took me a while to crack last time, so be thankful when I tell you the code is Nine One Two Six."

The Doctor nodded to herself and type the code in, unlocking the door that had been placed in front of them. So far no one had bothered to greet them or even noticed their presence.

"There's no reason for the church to be this empty," the Doctor said. "We're in the height of the church's popularity. This place should be crawling with people."

"Maybe everyone is at work?" Graham said.

"But where are the priests? They at the very least should have seen to us by now."

"Why did we even come here in the first place?" asked Yaz.

"Why did we even come here in the first place?" asked Ryan.

"Good question Ryan," said the Doctor. "I'm not sure, but I have a sneaky suspicion."

Yaz said nothing, annoyed that she'd been ignored. Still, she had to trust the Doctor, she'd never let her down before.

"Keep going," the recording urged. "You don't have time to stand round asking questions."

"Alright then," the Doctor said. "Wow am I really that bossy?"

None of the others replied. Yaz offered a smile, but it was ignored.

"Don't all talk at once," the Doctor said, before letting out her own smile. "Come on then."

They continued on their way down the corridor, the Doctor felt with an uneasy sense of dread.

"Stop immediately," the recording said. They all paused, perplexed at what the Doctor had said. Even the Doctor was confused.

"This entire church has been booby-trapped," the Doctor on the recording explained. "Fortunately I've already survived the traps the first time round, and rather have you repeat the process, we can just jump straight to the end."

"Good old me," the Doctor said. "Always knew I could trust myself"

"You see the tiles in front of you?" the recording said. "Getting across is as easy as pie."

"So we can just walk across?" Ryan asked, getting ready to take a step forward. The Doctor's arm whipped out and stopped him in his tracks.

"I suspect that attempting to cross willy-nilly would be a bad idea," the Doctor said, fishing a coin out of her pocket, before pausing.

"Doc?" asked Graham.

"There's another coin," she said, indicating to the blackened coin on the ground.

"So?" Ryan asked.

"It's a Hopies coin," the Doctor continued. "They don't join the church for another three thousand years. No, I must have done all this before."

"Yes, you have," said the recording. "And now you're going to show Ryan what happens if you don't listen to instructions, so I recommend you get it done as quick as possible."

"Alright, alright," the Doctor said testily. She threw a coin onto one of the tiles. Electricity crackled from the room and spread across the tiles, scorching the coin black.

"So then," the Doctor said. "If your curiosity is satisfied, do exactly what I do."

"How do you know what to do?" asked Graham.

"It's as simple as pi," the Doctor said cheerfully, before realizing her friends weren't quite following along. "Pi. The mathematical symbol. Three point one four one five nine two-"

"We get the point," said Yaz frustratedly. The other three jumped in surprise.

"Sorry Yaz," the Doctor said. "Forgot you were there."

"I know," Yaz said through gritted teeth. "But can we hurry it up?"

"Right, yes, sorry," the Doctor said. "I forgot how urgent the situation is. Okay, follow me." Carefully the group made their way across the tiles, following the Doctor's every step, a few of the leaps being particularly scary. Fortunately they all made it across safely to the other side.

"I hope you're hearing this Doctor," the recording said. "Otherwise the rest of my advice will be a waste of time. Keep going, third right, sixth left, third door on the right, and down through the middle."

"You heard me," the Doctor said. "Lets go then."

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"You said this was a church?" Yaz asked. "What sort of church has booby-traps in it?"

"The ancient Egyptians use to put curses on their pharaoh's tombs," the Doctor said. "Something here is worth protecting, enough that they're willing to make sure no one got in. Maybe we came here to get that treasure."

"Why would we come here to steal treasure?"

"I don't know... I must have had a good reason, even if I don't quite remember it. But that's just one possibility. For all I know I could be completely off the mark."

"Well I believe in you nonetheless," Yaz said, giving the Doctor a smile. The Doctor smiled back and turned away, her face suddenly becoming a mask of confusion. She looked as if she couldn't figure out why she was smiling. Her head turned, seeing Yaz again, and her face broke out in another smile.

"You shouldn't be too far from your destination," the recording said. "If my calculations are correct you're almost nearly there."

"Well that's a relief," Graham said. "I was starting to get turn-around in this maze. How are we going to find our way back to the TARDIS anyway?"

"GPS," replied the Doctor. "I installed a tracker in each of your phones. Should trace the route back for you."

"Wait, when did you put that on our phones?" Ryan asked.

"The moment I had one too many companions get lost," the Doctor said. "You lot, you're honestly like stray cats half the time."

Suddenly the Doctor stopped, looking at the room they arrive in in confusion. It was a large, circular room with five doors. She turned to the phone, but the recording seemed to have ended.

"What's going on?" Yaz asked, but no reply.

"Why have we stopped?" Ryan asked.

"The recording stopped," the Doctor said. "Which means two things. Either one, we've reached our destination, but I don't see why we'd have finished here. Or two..."

"Well?" Graham asked, to fill the silence.

"I've forgotten how this part goes," the Doctor said. "The closer we get to whatever caused us to forget means that it erased my memory of this room, and as such I didn't remember to include this in the recording."

"Well there are only five doors, maybe if we split up for a bit?"

"Five doors and only three of us? Too risky."

"Four of us," Yaz said. The Doctor turned, puzzled, before remembering and nodding.

"We can't afford Yaz to go by herself," the Doctor said. "No, it'll be better if we stick together. One in five odds, can't be all that bad."

"They're just doors, aren't they?" Ryan said.

"I mean yes, in the most literal sense they're doors," the Doctor replied. "But, well..." The Doctor pointed to a sign above one of the doors.

ONLY THOSE THAT HAVE THE TRUE FAITH WILL KNOW THE RIGHT DOOR it read. ALL THOSE THAT DON'T WILL PERISH IN THE FLAMES.

"I'm sure it's just being melodramatic," said Graham.

"Based on what we've been through?" the Doctor said. "No, this is very real. We have one shot at this. Get it wrong, and we'll go up in flames."

She turned to the group, trying to have a reassuring smile on her face.

"Right then," she said, trying to be cheery. "Pick a door, and let's hope for the best."


	15. A Moment of Silence - Episode Two

Doctor Who

A Moment of Silence

Episode Two

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"Yasmin Khan is one of the bravest and kindest people you know. She has helped you on several adventures, and is someone you can trust with your life. She is a police officer from Sheffield, and often uses those skills to plan out the best line of attack. She loves her mother and father and sister, but looks up to you as her hero. She's counting on saving her Doctor, and you won't let her down. You never let your friends down, and Yaz is one of the best friends you've ever had. Save her, Doctor. Save your friend."

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"Doctor!" a woman said angrily.

The Doctor looked up from the TARDIS console to see a strange woman standing in front of her. No, not a strange woman, there was a name associated with her.

"Yaz?" the Doctor said hesitantly, before deciding to go with it. "Sorry, forgot that you were there."

"I know," said Yaz. "You've forgotten me the last five times."

"No need to take it personally," the Doctor said, slightly offended.

"No, it's not like that," said Yaz. "I mean you've literally forgotten that I exist. Your memory has been messed with."

"What? No, of course not."

"Who are you talking to Doc?" Graham asked, as he and Ryan entered the console room.

"Yeah, where did she come from?" asked Ryan.

"Wait, you don't know who..." the Doctor began, but couldn't seem to remember the name. She clicked her fingers in frustration, trying to recall it.

"Yaz," said Yaz.

"Yaz, that's right," the Doctor said in relief. "You're telling me you don't recognize her?" Both of the men shrugged in confusion.

"She looks familiar," Graham said. "But I couldn't tell you where from."

"Graham, we've been travelling together for months," replied Yaz. "Tell them Doctor."

"You're right," the Doctor said. "This is serious." She quickly jumped around the console, pushing buttons and pulling levers.

"Are we going back to the church?" Yaz asked.

"What an amazingly good guess," said the Doctor. "We're going back to the last place we were, yes. There's only one place I know where this could have happened. And if I'm right, it won't be long till you stop being remembered for good!"

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The silence of the room was interrupted by the wheezing, groaning noise of a blue box materializing into existence. But as quickly as the noise arrived it was gone again, the silence winning out. The door opened as the four occupants tumbled out.

"Normally I'd take my clothes off," the Doctor said, looking around. "But this is a bit of an urgent situation."

"Take your clothes off?" asked Ryan.

"Yeah, we're in church. It's protocol."

"To take your clothes off when you enter a church?" Graham said.

"Oh come now, the point of travel is to broaden your mind, not have you be stuck with pre-conceived notions based on just your own culture."

"Can we hurry it up Doctor?" Yaz asked.

The Doctor said nothing, instead turning to focus on an item on the ground next to the TARDIS. She was slightly impressed that she didn't land on it. "What's this doing here?" She picked up the cellphone, turning it over in her hands. It certainly looked like an ordinary, twenty-first century smart phone, but how it made its way all the way out here was anyone's guess.

"Hey, that's my phone," Yaz said. "Doctor," she said, more forcefully. The Doctor's head snapped up and back onto Yaz. "That's my phone," she repeated.

"Is it?" the Doctor said. "It's a very nice phone... Wait, no, that's bad."

"The phone?" asked Ryan.

"The fact that I don't remember that it's..." said the Doctor, looking at Yaz but failing to recall a name. She clicked her fingers in frustration as she tried to remember.

"Yaz," said Yaz.

"Yaz's phone, yes. Nor that she herself seems to remember leaving it behind. It's more serious than I thought."

"How can we all forget..." Ryan began, before stopping. "Sorry, what are we talking about?"

"Forgetting someone," the Doctor asked. "Do you remember everyone you've met in your life?"

"Well, no," admitted Ryan. "But I don't see how this is relevant."

"Neither do I," the Doctor said in confusion, scratching her head.

"You'll save me, won't you Doctor?" Yaz asked.

"Of course," the Doctor said. "I'll totally look after you. You can trust me, I'm the Doctor. And you are?"

"Yaz!" Yaz shouted.

"Alright, calm down," the Doctor said. "I must say, the church's really gone downhill if that's how they address visitors. Wait, no, hang on. You don't work here, do you?"

"No, Doctor," Yaz said. "I travel with you in the TARDIS."

"Do you? Wait, I remember now. We came here to figure out why everyone keeps forgetting you. Right, okay." The Doctor fumbled around in her pockets, pulling out a felt tip pen. She wrote 'Yaz' down on her arm, making sure she could see it.

"Okay, so, to be safe, everyone keep an eye on Yaz, keep her in your mind. We can't afford to forget her, not even for a second."

"Who?" asked Graham, before his eyes set on Yaz and he jumped slightly, before relaxing and remembering who she was. She smiled, comforted by her friends concern, but feeling awkward at constantly being looked at. To distract her mind she went over to the Doctor and looked at the phone screen.

"Hold up," she said. "Someone's left me a message."

"I wonder..." the Doctor said, pressing the button.

"Doctor, you need to listen to me," said the voice on the line. Everyone froze, confused by what was happening.

"I don't remember sending this message," the Doctor said, as she looked at the phone.

"You won't remember sending this message," the Doctor's voice replied. "In fact you'll think you're here for the first time. And no matter what I say you won't leave here, so instead we're going to try and get through this as quickly as possible to save Yaz. But we don't have much time. Already I've forgotten some of Yaz's features as I record this, so it must be even worse for you."

"This is too weird," said Ryan.

"You need to make your way down the corridor," the voice said. "First right, second left, fifth right, ninth left. While you do that I'm going to continually describe Yaz to you, so that she sticks in your mind. Yaz, make sure someone is looking at you at all times, it decreases the chances of you being forgotten about. Ryan, Graham, look at Yaz as if her existence depends on it because, well, it does."

"Are you going to follow the recording?" asked Graham.

"I suppose I am," the Doctor said. "If I can't trust myself who can I trust? Come on then fam. And remember, keep an eye on Yaz."

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"So you've come to the first challenge," the recording said. "This took me a while to crack last time, so be thankful when I tell you the code is Nine One Two Six."

The Doctor nodded to herself and type the code in, unlocking the door that had been placed in front of them. So far no one had bothered to greet them or even noticed their presence.

"There's no reason for the church to be this empty," the Doctor said. "We're in the height of the church's popularity. This place should be crawling with people."

"Maybe everyone is at work?" Graham said.

"But where are the priests? They at the very least should have seen to us by now."

"Why did we even come here in the first place?" asked Yaz.

"Why did we even come here in the first place?" asked Ryan.

"Good question Ryan," said the Doctor. "I'm not sure, but I have a sneaky suspicion."

Yaz said nothing, frightened that she'd been ignored yet again. Still, she had to trust the Doctor, she'd never let her down before.

"Keep going," the recording urged. "You don't have time to stand round asking questions."

"Alright then," the Doctor said. "Wow am I really that bossy?"

None of the others replied. Yaz offered a smile, but it was ignored.

"Don't all talk at once," the Doctor said, before letting out her own smile. "Come on then."

They continued on their way down the corridor, the Doctor felt with an uneasy sense of dread.

"Stop immediately," the recording said. They all paused, perplexed at what the Doctor had said. Even the Doctor was confused.

"This entire church has been booby-trapped," the Doctor on the recording explained. "Fortunately I've already survived the traps the first time round, and rather have you repeat the process, we can just jump straight to the end."

"Good old me," the Doctor said. "Always knew I could trust myself"

"You see the tiles in front of you?" the recording said. "Getting across is as easy as pie."

"So we can just walk across?" Ryan asked, getting ready to take a step forward. The Doctor's arm whipped out and stopped him in his tracks.

"I suspect that attempting to cross willy-nilly would be a bad idea," the Doctor said, fishing a coin out of her pocket, before pausing.

"Doc?" asked Graham.

"There's another coin," she said, indicating to the blackened coin on the ground. "Several of them in fact."

"So?" Ryan asked.

"They're Hopies coins," the Doctor continued. "They don't join the church for another three thousand years. No, I must have done all this before."

"Yes, you have," said the recording. "And now you're going to show Ryan what happens if you don't listen to instructions, so I recommend you get it done as quick as possible."

"Alright, alright," the Doctor said testily. She threw a coin onto one of the tiles. Electricity crackled from the room and spread across the tiles, scorching the coin black.

"So then," the Doctor said. "If your curiosity is satisfied, do exactly what I do."

"How do you know what to do?" asked Graham.

"It's as simple as pi," the Doctor said cheerfully, before realizing her friends weren't quite following along. "Pi. The mathematical symbol. Three point one four one five nine two-"

"We get the point," said Yaz frustratedly. The other three jumped in surprise.

"Sorry," the Doctor said. "Do you work here?"

"I'm Yaz," Yaz said through gritted teeth, "and I'm one of your travelling companions."

"Are you?" the Doctor asked, her face blank. Suddenly it hit her, and she looked ashamed. "Sorry, Yaz, I forgot how urgent the situation is. Okay, follow me." Carefully the group made their way across the tiles, following the Doctor's every step, a few of the leaps being particularly scary. Fortunately they all made it across safely to the other side.

"I hope you're hearing this Doctor," the recording said. "Otherwise the rest of my advice will be a waste of time. Keep going, third right, sixth left, third door on the right, and down through the middle."

"You heard me," the Doctor said. "Lets go then."

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"You said this was a church?" Yaz asked. "The booby traps were like curses on a pharaoh's tomb. And that you came here to steal something?"

"Wait, what makes you say that?" the Doctor says. "Why would I come here to steal something?"

"I don't know," said Yaz. "That's the conclusion you came to."

"When did I come to that conclusion?"

"The last time we had this conversation."

"I don't remember having this conversation miss..."

"Yaz, Doctor. Travelling companion. We're here because you keep forgetting that I exist."

"Do I? Sorry, it must be this place... Maybe that's why I came here, to steal whatever was causing this to happen. Or as a way of stopping this from happening."

"Well I believe in you nonetheless," Yaz said, giving the Doctor a smile. The Doctor smiled back and turned away, her face suddenly becoming a mask of confusion. She looked as if she couldn't figure out why she was smiling. Her head turned, seeing Yaz again, still slightly confused.

"Okay, here's where things get difficult," the recording said. "Good news, you're almost there."

"Well that's a relief," Graham said. "I was starting to get turn-around in this maze. How are we going to find our way back to the TARDIS anyway?"

"GPS," replied the Doctor. "I installed a tracker in each of your phones. Should trace the route back for you."

"Wait, when did you put that on our phones?" Ryan asked.

"The moment I had one too many companions get lost," the Doctor said. "You lot, you're honestly like stray cats half the time."

Suddenly the Doctor stopped, looking at the room they arrive in in confusion. It was a large, circular room with several doors.

"Here's the bad news," the recording said. "It took me a while to work out which door was the safe one, but fortunately by looking at the runes I was able to cross-reference them with the church's history and tell you that door number four is the one that won't set you on fire."

"Well that's a relief," the Doctor said. "I suspected this must have taken ages for me to solve. Still, I must say, it's nice to rely on myself."

"Stop praising yourself and keep going," the recording urged. "You're running out of time."

"Off we go then," the Doctor said, the sense of deja vu building up inside of her. She'd definitely been here before, but how? And why? And who was this strange woman walking with them? The Doctor eyed the stranger cautiously. She didn't know who this young woman was, and she had to be sure.

"Who are you?" the Doctor asked, as they walked down the corridor.

"Yaz!" the woman yelled. "Yaz Yaz Yaz! I'm Yaz! Why won't you remember?"

The three TARDIS travellers jumped back in shock. Ryan and Graham glanced at the Doctor, who pulled out her sonic screwdriver.

"I don't know how you are," the Doctor said. "But I've never seen you before in my life. Now leave, before I do something we'll both regret."

"But Doctor-" began the woman.

"Now!" the Doctor said. "I never want to see you again!"


	16. A Moment of Silence - Episode Three

Doctor Who

A Moment of Silence

Episode Three

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"Yasmin Khan is a person travelling with you. She claims to have helped you on several adventures, and wants you to think that she's someone you can trust with your life. Apparently she is a police officer from Sheffield, and says that she often uses those skills to plan out the best line of attack. She loves her mother and father and sister, but looks up to you as her hero. She's counting on saving her Doctor, and you won't let her down. You don't know who she is Doctor, but you know that you never let anyone down. The Doctor saves people, even if they're complete strangers. It's what you do."

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"Cor blimey," Graham said. "Who the hell are you and where did you come from?"

The Doctor looked up from the TARDIS console to see a strange woman standing in front of her. Graham and Ryan were looking at the woman, equally baffled by what they were seeing.

"Sorry, didn't see you there," the Doctor said, before getting suspicious. "How did you get aboard my ship?"

"You let me aboard your ship," said Yaz. "I'm your companion."

"Never seen you before in my life," the Doctor said, completely bamboozled.

"Yes you have," said Yaz. "We've been through this before but you keep forgetting. You forget the conversation, you forget what we've been through, you forget me. Your memory has been messed with."

"What? No, of course not."

"Friend of yours, Doc?" Graham asked, as he and Ryan stood awkwardly in the console room.

"Yeah, where did she come from?" asked Ryan.

"Who are you talking about?" the Doctor asked, turning to the two of them, completely confused by what was happening. There was only three of them in the ship, after all.

"DOCTOR!" a female voice said, causing the Doctor to jump.

"Where did you come from?" the Doctor asked in confusion.

"She's not gone anywhere?" Ryan said in confusion. "She has been standing there the entire time."

"But she only just got here," the Doctor said, before trailing off. She looked back at the woman, a worrying thought crossing her mind.

"Please, Doctor," pleaded the woman.

"You're right," the Doctor said. "This is serious." She quickly jumped around the console, pushing buttons and pulling levers.

"Are we going back to the church?" the woman asked.

"How did you know that?" said the Doctor, pausing.

"Because we've been back several times," the woman replied. "We're always going back to the church, it's the last place you remember going."

"Then that's where we'll go. Hopefully I can figure out what you're really up to, and we can sort this matter for good."

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The silence of the room was interrupted by the wheezing, groaning noise of a blue box materializing into existence. But as quickly as the noise arrived it was gone again, the silence winning out. The door opened as the four occupants tumbled out.

"Normally I'd take my clothes off," the Doctor said, looking around. "But this is a bit of an urgent situation."

"Take your clothes off?" asked Ryan.

"Yeah, we're in church. It's protocol."

"To take your clothes off when you enter a church?" Graham said.

"Oh come now, the point of travel is to broaden your mind, not have you be stuck with pre-conceived notions based on just your own culture."

"Can we hurry it up Doctor?" Yaz asked.

The Doctor said nothing, instead turning to focus on an item on the ground next to the TARDIS. She was slightly impressed that she didn't land on it. "What's this doing here?" She picked up the cellphone, turning it over in her hands. It certainly looked like an ordinary, twenty-first century smart phone, but how it made its way all the way out here was anyone's guess.

"What's a phone doing in this time period," the Doctor asked, brow furrowed. "Neither of you have lost a phone, have you?"

"No?" Graham and Ryan replied, pulling out their phones.

"That's my phone," said a strange woman who had decided to suddenly join them.

"Is it?" the Doctor said. "It's a very nice phone. Wait, no, that's bad."

"The phone?" asked Ryan.

"No, the fact that this woman managed to teleport into the room without me noticing," said the Doctor, looking at the woman with suspicion. "And that she has a piece of technology that would be a relic in this day and age.

"Doctor, it's me," said the woman. "Yaz. Your travelling companion."

"Never heard of you," the Doctor said dismissively.

"Just play the message on the phone," the woman said.

"Why should I listen to you? Who are you, anyway?"

"I'm Yaz. Look, you know me. You wrote my name down."

"I think I'd remember writing your name down," the Doctor scoffed, looking down at her arm... and seeing it covered in the name Yaz. She checked her other arm, it was written there as well. She looked up, face as pale as a sheet.

"I'm so, so sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry, I understand now. We must have come here to figure out why everyone keeps forgetting you. I'm so sorry..." The Doctor trailed off, glancing at her arm.

"Yaz. I'm so sorry Yaz."

"You know her, Doc?" Graham asked.

"I must have," the Doctor said. "Or I wouldn't have left this message for myself. No, this is not right at all."

"Sorry, what are we talking about?" asked Ryan. "And whose this?"

"Look at the phone," the woman said.

"Hold up," said the Doctor. "Someone's left a message on here. It'd be rude not to see what it is."

"Doctor, you need to listen to me," said the voice on the line. Everyone froze, confused by what was happening.

"I don't remember sending this message," the Doctor said, as she looked at the phone.

"You won't remember sending this message," the Doctor's voice replied. "In fact you'll think you're here for the first time. And no matter what I say you won't leave here, so instead we're going to try and get through this as quickly as possible to save Yaz. But we don't have much time. Already I've forgotten some of Yaz's features as I record this, so it must be even worse for you."

"This is too weird," said Ryan. "And whose this Yaz person anyway?"

"You need to make your way down the corridor," the voice said. "First right, second left, fifth right, ninth left. While you do that I'm going to continually describe Yaz to you, so that she sticks in your mind. Yaz, make sure someone is looking at you at all times, it decreases the chances of you being forgotten about. Ryan, Graham, look at Yaz as if her existence depends on it because, well, it does."

"Are you going to follow the recording?" asked Graham. "I mean it keeps mentioning something about yams?"

"It's Yaz," said a woman, having suddenly appeared. "The message on the phone is about me. Please, can you stop looking away." The Doctor said nothing, staring at Yaz in confusion, before breaking into a smile.

"Okay," the Doctor said. "If I can't trust myself who can I trust? Come on then fam. And remember, keep an eye on whoever this woman is. Apparently she's important or something."

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"So you've come to the first challenge," the recording said. "This took me a while to crack last time, so be thankful when I tell you the code is Nine One Two Six."

The Doctor nodded to herself and type the code in, unlocking the door that had been placed in front of them. So far no one had bothered to greet them or even noticed their presence.

"There's no reason for the church to be this empty," the Doctor said. "We're in the height of the church's popularity. This place should be crawling with people."

"Maybe everyone is at work?" Graham said.

"But where are the priests? They at the very least should have seen to us by now."

"Why did we even come here in the first place?" asked Ryan.

"Good question Ryan," said the Doctor. "I'm not sure, but I have a sneaky suspicion."

"Keep going," the recording urged. "You don't have time to stand round asking questions."

"Alright then," the Doctor said. "Wow am I really that bossy?" The other two didn't reply.

"Don't all talk at once," the Doctor said, before letting out her own smile. "Come on then."

They continued on their way down the corridor, the Doctor felt with an uneasy sense of dread.

"Stop immediately," the recording said. They all paused, perplexed at what the Doctor had said. Even the Doctor was confused.

"This entire church has been booby-trapped," the Doctor on the recording explained. "Fortunately I've already survived the traps the first time round, and rather have you repeat the process, we can just jump straight to the end."

"Good old me," the Doctor said. "Always knew I could trust myself"

"You see the tiles in front of you?" the recording said. "Getting across is as easy as pie."

"So we can just walk across?" Ryan asked, getting ready to take a step forward. The Doctor's arm whipped out and stopped him in his tracks.

"I suspect that attempting to cross willy-nilly would be a bad idea," the Doctor said, fishing about in her pocket, before pausing.

"Doc?" asked Graham.

"There's another coin," she said, indicating to the blackened coin on the ground. "Several of them in fact."

"So?" Ryan asked.

"They're Hopies coins," the Doctor continued. "They don't join the church for another three thousand years. And I don't have any coins left, even though I should have a small change jar worth. No, I don't like this, we should head back."

"Don't head back," said the recording. "You need to trust yourself and keep pressing forward. Ryan, tell yourself to listen to yourself, you don't need a demonstration."

"Wait what?" Ryan asked.

"Ryan," said his own voice. "The Doctor is telling me not to let you waste time, so just get through this as quickly as you can."

"That's so weird," Ryan said. "I don't remember saying that at all."

"At any rate," the Doctor said. "If your curiosity is satisfied, do exactly what I do."

"How do you know what to do?" asked Graham.

"It's as simple as pi," the Doctor said cheerfully, before realizing her friends weren't quite following along. "Pi. The mathematical symbol. Three point one four one five nine two-"

"Can we hurry this up," said a woman frustratedly. The other three jumped in surprise.

"Sorry," the Doctor said. "Do you work here?"

"I'm Yaz," Yaz said through gritted teeth, "and I'm one of your travelling companions."

"Are you?" the Doctor asked, her face blank. "How come I've never heard of you?"

"Look at your arm Doctor." The Doctor looked at her arm, to see the word Yaz scrawled all over it.

"Okay then," the Doctor said slowly. "Sorry, Yaz, I forgot how urgent the situation is. Okay, follow me." Carefully the group made their way across the tiles, following the Doctor's every step, a few of the leaps being particularly scary. Fortunately they all made it across safely to the other side.

"I hope you're hearing this Doctor," the recording said. "Otherwise the rest of my advice will be a waste of time. Keep going, third right, sixth left, third door on the right, and down through the middle."

"You heard me," the Doctor said. "Lets go then."

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"You said this was a church?" a strange woman asked. "The booby traps were like curses on a pharaoh's tomb. And that you came here to steal something?"

"Who are you?" the Doctor says. "Where did you come from? And why would I come here to steal something?"

"I'm Yaz," said the woman. "I'm your travelling companion. You're going to check your arm, remember that you're here to help me, and then I'm going to say that you already came to that conclusion."

"What conclusion?"

"The conclusion that we came here to steal something."

"When did I come to that conclusion?"

"The last time we had this conversation."

"I don't remember having this conversation miss..."

"Yaz, Doctor. Travelling companion. We're here because you keep forgetting that I exist."

"Do I? Sorry, it must be this place... Maybe that's why I came here, to steal whatever was causing this to happen. Or as a way of stopping this from happening."

"Well I believe in you nonetheless," Yaz said, giving the Doctor a smile. The Doctor smiled back and turned away, her face blank. Why was she smiling a moment ago?

"Okay, here's where things get difficult," the recording said. "Good news, you're almost there."

"Well that's a relief," Graham said. "I was starting to get turn-around in this maze. How are we going to find our way back to the TARDIS anyway?"

"GPS," replied the Doctor. "I installed a tracker in each of your phones. Should trace the route back for you."

"Wait, when did you put that on our phones?" Ryan asked.

"The moment I had one too many companions get lost," the Doctor said. "You lot, you're honestly like stray cats half the time."

Suddenly the Doctor stopped, looking at the room they arrive in in confusion. It was a large, circular room with several doors.

"Here's the bad news," the recording said. "It took me a while to work out which door was the safe one, but fortunately by looking at the runes I was able to cross-reference them with the church's history and tell you that door number four is the one that won't set you on fire."

"Well that's a relief," the Doctor said. "I suspected this must have taken ages for me to solve. Still, I must say, it's nice to rely on myself."

"Stop praising yourself and keep going," the recording urged. "You're running out of time."

"Off we go then," the Doctor said, the sense of deja vu building up inside of her. She'd definitely been here before, but how? And why? And who was this strange woman walking with them? The Doctor eyed the stranger cautiously. She didn't know who this young woman was, and she had to be sure.

"Who are you?" the Doctor asked, as they walked down the corridor.

"Yaz!" the woman yelled. "Yaz Yaz Yaz! I'm Yaz! Why won't you remember?"

The three TARDIS travellers jumped back in shock. Ryan and Graham glanced at the Doctor, who pulled out her sonic screwdriver.

"I don't know how you are," the Doctor said. "But I've never seen you before in my life. Now leave, before I do something we'll both regret."

"But Doctor-" began the woman.

"Now!" the Doctor said. "I never want to see you again!"

"Doctor," said Ryan urgently.

"What?" the Doctor asked.

"N-Nothing," Ryan replied, confused.

"Okay..." the Doctor said slowly, eyes still on the strange woman. "Well if you're not going to leave."

"Doctor!" Ryan said again, just as urgently as before.

"What is it Ryan?" the Doctor asked.

"What is what?" Ryan asked calmly.

"You yelled out."

"No I didn't?"

"Yes you did."

"No I- Doctor!"

"What?" The Doctor said angrily, spinning round to see what Ryan was looking at. Her blood froze as she saw the monster in front of her. A tall, skinny beast with a large, bald head and three long fingers on each hand. Electricity crackled from the fingertips, lighting up the corridor.

"Graham, Ryan," the Doctor said. "Say hello to the Silence."


	17. A Moment of Silence - Episode Four

Doctor Who

A Moment of Silence

Episode Four

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"Yasmin Khan is someone who claims to know you. Something about being a companion, and also a police officer from Sheffield. She says she loves her mother and father and sister, but looks up to you as her hero. I've been told that I can trust her, but I don't know Doctor. Keep your wits about you. There's clearly something not right about her at all."

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"That's weird," Graham said.

The Doctor looked up from the TARDIS console to see her friend looking at his phone in confusion.

"What's weird?" she asked.

"I got a text from someone called Yaz."

"Friend of yours?" the Doctor asked.

"Never heard of them in my life."

"I got a text from them as well," Ryan said, also looking at his phone. The Doctor pulled out her phone and sure enough there was a text on it.

"That's very odd," the Doctor said. "I only give this number out to people who travel with me."

"It says here that you should use the fast-return switch to get yourself back to the church," Graham read. "Any idea what that means?"

"Not a clue," the Doctor admitted. "But I'm not going to lie, it has ensnared my curiosity. Come on then, lets go see what it's all about."

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The silence of the room was interrupted by the wheezing, groaning noise of a blue box materializing into existence. But as quickly as the noise arrived it was gone again, the silence winning out. The door opened as the four occupants tumbled out.

"Normally I'd take my clothes off," the Doctor said, looking around. "But this is a bit of an urgent situation."

"Take your clothes off?" asked Ryan.

"Yeah, we're in church. It's protocol."

"To take your clothes off when you enter a church?" Graham said.

"Oh come now, the point of travel is to broaden your mind, not have you be stuck with pre-conceived notions based on just your own culture."

"What are we doing here Doctor?" Ryan asked.

"Well whoever texted us must have some pretty powerful technology to get through the TARDIS shield's," the Doctor said. "Either that or they were in the room with us and we didn't see them."

"Invisibility cloak?"

"That only exists in Harry Potter. Besides, the TARDIS would have picked it up. I dunno, maybe we should just ignore it."

Another text pinged all three of their phones.

"Please don't leave," read Ryan. "I need your help."

"Well I never refuse the chance to help someone," the Doctor said. "I just wish they'd show themselves."

"Continue down the corridor," Graham read, as the next text appeared. "First right, second left, fifth right, ninth left."

"Well we might as well do what it says," the Doctor said. "Lets get to the bottom of this once and for all."

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"The code is Nine One Two Six," Ryan read out-loud as the Doctor punched it in. The door slide up, revealing the way forward.

"There's no reason for the church to be this empty," the Doctor said. "We're in the height of the church's popularity. This place should be crawling with people."

"Maybe everyone is at work?" Graham said.

"But where are the priests? They at the very least should have seen to us by now."

"Why did we even come here in the first place?" asked Ryan.

"Good question Ryan," said the Doctor. "I'm not sure, but I have a sneaky suspicion."

Another ping went off on all their phones.

"Keep going," the Doctor read. "You don't have time to stand round asking questions. Wow, it's a good thing I'm not that bossy, right?"

The other two didn't reply.

"Don't all talk at once," the Doctor said, before letting out her own smile. "Come on then."

They continued on their way down the corridor, the Doctor felt with an uneasy sense of dread. It was compounded when their phones went off again.

"Stop immediately," said Ryan. They all paused, perplexed at what the text. There didn't seem to be a reason.

"This entire church has been booby-trapped," the Doctor read out. "Fortunately I've already survived the traps the first time round, and rather have you repeat the process, we can just jump straight to the end."

"That's very nice of them," the Doctor said. "Whoever brought us here obviously doesn't want us dead yet."

"You see the tiles in front of you?" said Graham. "Getting across is as easy as pie."

"So we can just walk across?" Ryan asked, getting ready to take a step forward. The Doctor's arm whipped out and stopped him in his tracks.

"I suspect that attempting to cross willy-nilly would be a bad idea," the Doctor said, fishing about in her pocket, before pausing.

"Doc?" asked Graham.

"There's another coin," she said, indicating to the blackened coin on the ground. "Several of them in fact."

"So?" Ryan asked.

"They're Hopies coins," the Doctor continued. "They don't join the church for another three thousand years. And I don't have any coins left, even though I should have a small change jar's worth. No, I don't like this, we should head back."

There was another ping, almost on command. The Doctor looked around, wondering who was secretly watching them.

"Don't head back," said the text. "You need to trust yourself and keep pressing forward. Please, my life depends on it."

"Who is this person?" Ryan asked.

"We can work that out later," the Doctor said. "Someone needs our help, so we don't have time to waste. Do exactly what I do."

"How do you know what to do?" asked Graham.

"It's as simple as pi," the Doctor said cheerfully, before realizing her friends weren't quite following along. "Pi. The mathematical symbol. Three point one four one five nine two-"

"Hurry it up," said the text that they received. The Doctor scowled at it, but didn't respond Carefully the group made their way across the tiles, following the Doctor's every step, a few of the leaps being particularly scary. Fortunately they all made it across safely to the other side.

"Guess we keep going then," the Doctor said, looking around. Someone was definitely watching them, and she didn't like it in the slightest. She'd find out what they really wanted and, if she didn't like it, then they'd have to answer to her.

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"Okay, here's where things get difficult," said the text. "Good news, you're almost there."

"Well that's a relief," Graham said. "I was starting to get turn-around in this maze. How are we going to find our way back to the TARDIS anyway?"

"GPS," replied the Doctor. "I installed a tracker in each of your phones. Should trace the route back for you."

"Wait, when did you put that on our phones?" Ryan asked.

"The moment I had one too many companions get lost," the Doctor said. "You lot, you're honestly like stray cats half the..." Suddenly she stopped and pulled out her sonic screwdriver, buzzing at the phone.

"What are you doing?" Ryan asked.

"Deleting the app," the Doctor said. "Someone might be trying to use it as a way of tracking us back to the TARDIS. I've taken it off all your phones."

Suddenly the Doctor stopped, looking at the room they arrive in in confusion. It was a large, circular room with several doors.

"We want door number four," said Graham. "Are we sure that we can trust this text?

"If they wanted us dead they'd have done it a long time ago," the Doctor said, as she made her way to the door. "No, someone is deliberately leading us through this maze. I don't like it, I can't wait to speak to whoever is in charge."

They opened the door and started down the corridor. Suddenly it was bathed in light, electricity crackling against the walls. The Doctor looked down the corridor and gasped in shock. Her blood froze as she saw the monster in front of her. A tall, skinny beast with a large, bald head and three long fingers on each hand. Electricity crackled from the fingertips, lighting up the corridor.

"Graham, Ryan," the Doctor said. "Say hello to the Silence."

"We must kill it," said Graham, rushing forward.

"What?" the Doctor said, throwing herself in front of him.

"We must kill them all on sight," said Ryan, as he started to make his move.

"No, stop it you two," the Doctor said, holding them back. "What's gotten into you."

"We must kill it," said Ryan and Graham in unison.

"Stop it," said the Doctor. "Can't you see it's already... hurt." She looked at the monster, noticing the gash on its face for the first time. Almost as if someone had scratched it.

"Shall we do this again?" the Silent asked. The Doctor frowned, coming to some unsettling conclusions.

"The three of us came here before, didn't we?" the Doctor said. "I brought us here because we wanted to forget something horrible. We had a confession to make and you were here to listen."

"That is our purpose," said the creature.

"But who attacked you? And why?"

"It was one of your companions."

"Graham and Ryan? I'm so sorry, I don't know what has come over them."

"It wasn't those two. It was the other one."

"Other one? What other one. There's only those two and me. Are you sure you've not got a screw loose."

"She is with you right now. She is no longer trying to attack me. She is one of us."

"One of you?"

"Those that touch the blood of a Silence becomes a Silence. They become effected by the same perception filter that we use. They gain the Silent Sickness. But, unlike us, they cannot be seen at all, even if you're looking directly at them. As far as your kind is concerned, they no longer exist."

"Neat theory," said the Doctor, as she pushed her two friends around. "Here's mine. You set a trap to lure us here, and you've done something to my friends."

"No."

"No?"

"No. You were the ones to do this. Don't you remember. The moon landing? The message you sent out? The reason why we had to fortify our church, to stop any humans from getting in before we reversed the command?"

The Doctor froze, a memory surfacing. She remembered that time in 1969, when she hid the message inside the moon landing footage. She forgot that she'd done it, probably a side-effect of the Silence's power. No doubt she was only remembering it now that she was looking at one.

"I'm sure I had good reason," the Doctor said, only barely remembering what she was talking about, like she was holding onto a dream that was quickly fading away.

"You set out to wipe us out," the Silence said. "And now your friend has paid the price. She's right there and you can't even see her."

"How can I trust you?"

"You can't. Leave, Doctor. Leave now and never come back!"

"Works for me," the Doctor said, pushing her friends.

"Doc-" began Ryan.

"Don't look back," the Doctor said, as she walked backwards, eyes on the Silence. "Just send a text to yourself that we need to leave right now."

"Okay?" said Ryan, as they entered the circular room. "But why do I have a text telling us to leave?"

"I don't know," the Doctor said. "But I don't like this place. Quick, back to the TARDIS!"

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"Do you hear that, Doctor?" Graham asked, as they stood inside the TARDIS, the Doctor getting ready to take off.

"Hear what?" the Doctor asked. She felt like there was something she was suppose to have left outside, a message to herself, but what it was or why she would went completely out of her mind.

"It sounds like someone is calling out to us," said Graham. "Begging us to get into the TARDIS."

"Really?" the Doctor asked. Graham suddenly shook his head, as if snapping out of a trance.

"Sorry," Graham said. "Must be hearing things in my old age."

"I know what you mean," the Doctor said. "I don't know where we are, but speaking of hearing things, I have an opera I think you'll love. Star Wars the Operatic Ice Show."

"You what?" said Graham. The Doctor smiled, dematerializing the TARDIS. Her two companions laughed at the description as the TARDIS took off. The three of them set off for new adventures, knowing that whatever was to come would just result in them becoming even closer friends.


	18. Tarawera - Episode One

"Doctor?" asked Graham. The Doctor stopped and looked up, peering at him in confusion.

"Sorry Graham," she said, shaking her head. "Feel like I'm forgetting something important. Probably nothing."

"You were taking me to see my cousin in New Zealand," Graham said. The Doctor nodded, fiddling with the TARDIS controls.

"How come you've never mentioned him before," Ryan asked, the Doctor's only other companion.

"Have you seen the price of airline tickets?" said Graham. "Besides, it'd be nice to surprise him for his birthday... or Christmas... whichever one we're closest to."

"Oi!" the Doctor said. "Do you know how hard it is to hit the right location, let alone the right time? The TARDIS is a beauty she is."

"As long as you don't want to be too specific," said Graham with a grin. The Doctor grinned back and pulled a lever, the TARDIS letting them know they landed. She flashed Graham and Ryan a grin and ran outside.

"There you go," she said, hands on hip as they surveyed the landscape. "New Zealand."

"Could have parked somewhere better Doc," said Graham, as he and Ryan joined her. They found themselves at the end of a rather steep hill, with the area behind them being nothing but a cliff edge.

"Oh the TARDIS will be fine," the Doctor said. "What's the worst that could happen?"

No sooner had she finished speaking when the ground shook and they suddenly found themselves slipping down the hill. As she fell the Doctor turned back to see the TARDIS tumble off the cliff, before the three of them started to roll down the hill. Her last thought was how she couldn't wait for them to say 'I told you so', before she blacked out.

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Doctor Who

Tarawera

Episode One

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"Graham," said a voice urgently. He felt someone shaking his chest, and slowly the blackness gave way to a clearer definition of the face looking over him.

"Yes?" Graham said groggily, as he tried to focus on the Doctor. His head was pounding, and try as he might the forest didn't seem to want to stop spinning yet.

"How do you feel?" the Doctor asked.

"Last time I was this bad was when I went on that wine tasting tour with Grace and got a little too into it." Graham winced, putting a hand to his head, as slowly everything calmed down. Suddenly his eyes widened in fear.

"Where's Ryan?" he asked urgently. The Doctor said nothing, biting her lip. Graham took a moment to analyse their surroundings. They were in a forest, at the bottom of the hill they fell down. The fact that they hadn't died was something of a miracle, given how steep the fall was. He tried to look up the hill to find the TARDIS, but couldn't see it.

"Just rest for a moment," the Doctor said, but Graham shook his head.

"We need to find Ryan," he said, getting up... and immediately crashing back down again, clutching his leg in pain.

"You've broken your leg," the Doctor said. "Sorry, should have mentioned it earlier, bit distracted."

"So where is Ryan?" Graham asked, as he grit his teeth through the slowly disappearing pain.

"He's, err..." The Doctor said, not looking at Graham.

"Doctor," said Graham. She shuddered. He only ever called her 'Doctor' in the most serious situations.

"He's somewhere in the forest," the Doctor admitted. "When we fell he must have tumbled in a different direction away from us. By my calculation he should be in that way."

She pointed eastward into more dense forest. How it differed from any other part of the forest wasn't something Graham could justify.

"Then let's go get him," said Graham, looking for a stick to brace himself with.

"Graham, I'm sorry, but right now I need to focus on you. You can't move, not till we've done something about that leg."

"But Ryan might need us!"

"And you'll be no use to him if you end up breaking your other leg. Graham," she continued, grabbing him and helping him back down as he tried to pull himself up, attempting to balance on a stick that slid from underneath him. "We will look for him, I promise. But right now we need to sort you out."

"Leave me Doc," said Graham. "Go find him, and come back for me."

"And risk losing both of you?" the Doctor said. "I'm sorry Graham, but we gotta play it smart. First thing we need to do is create a splint for that leg. Now sit there."

"Of course," Graham said sarcastically. "After all, where am I really going to go?"

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Ryan checked the phone again, not that anything had changed. It was still a cracked mess that wouldn't turn on. He'd woken up in the forest at the foot of the hill and had to make a decision about what to do next. With no other ideas he picked a direction and started walking.

Walking up the mountain seemed like a waste of energy, and going deeper into the forest was probably a bad idea. No, better to try and stay at the base of the hill and hopefully run into the Doctor at some point. There was a fifty-fifty chance that he set out in the right direction, and he could always turn round if he felt like he was going the wrong way.

If nothing else the forest was quite beautiful. A bird flew past him and landed on a branch, something he'd never seen before, with its fan-tail and unusual colours. He went to have a closer look, but it flew off, clearly scared of him. The trees were also weird as well. It was almost as if he was on an alien planet.

Ryan looked at the phone another time, tempted to throw it but knowing the dangers from the last time that happened. Besides, the Doctor had put a lot of fancy tech into it, for all the good it would do. Four month battery, the ability to get a signal at any point in time or space, the latest version of Angry Bird. The only downside was that it was still as flimsy and prone to breaking as any other phoned he owned. He continued on his way, hoping desperately to find the Doctor. He glanced up, the sun still high in the sky. Hopefully he'd find her and Graham before dark or, well...

He shook his head to free himself of the thought. No, he will find them before night. They couldn't be that much further. Right?

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"Try that," the Doctor asked, helping Graham up. Graham pushed himself to his feet, his broken leg straightened by two pieces of wood tied together with flax.

"That Lord Robert Baden Powell certainly had a few good ideas," the Doctor said with a smile, hoping to relieve her friend's down spirits. Graham didn't smile back, his face set on determination.

"Come on," he said. "We need to get to Ryan."

"You better pace yourself," the Doctor said as they moved along. "Last thing we need is for you to hurt yourself more."

"We'll be fine when we get back to the TARDIS," Graham said, pushing himself along.

"Look, you're not going to be a hero if I end up having to carry you the entire way," the Doctor said. "If you're not careful you're gonna end up making this worse, and not even the TARDIS will be able to fix you."

"But what about Ryan?"

"You think I don't care about him too? It's my fault he's out there. But you're my responsibility just as much as him."

"You don't understand. I promised Grace I'll keep him safe."

"You don't think I made the same promise? Graham, look at me." Graham looked at the Doctor's fierce, piercing glare.

"Do you think Ryan wants you to hurt yourself beyond repair? Do you think Ryan wants you to spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair? Stop being so selfish. Ryan's a smart boy, he can look after himself. He'd be following the same route we are and, knowing him, he'll eventually turn around and come back towards us if he's walking the wrong way. Failing that we can set up a smoke signal and attract his attention. So are we going to be smart about this, or are you going to constantly punish yourself to try and not feel so guilty?"

Graham said nothing, his face crestfallen. He put his hand on a tree and slid down, legs stretched out.

"You're right," he said. "You better make a fire. Hopefully Ryan will see the smoke."

"That's right," the Doctor said, clearing a spot to start the fire. "I'm glad we're on the same page. Also thanks."

"Thanks?"

"For not saying 'I told you so' about parking on the cliff."

"Well we've all had dodgy parking. Did I tell you about the time I managed to park a bus on a motorway that caused a five hour delay?"

"You didn't," the Doctor said incredulously, smiling away as Graham relayed the story. But deep down she was worried. Ryan's phone must be broken, as she couldn't track it with the sonic. She had no idea where he was, or what state he was in. If they didn't find him soon, who knows what would happen to him.

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It was a good thing that Ryan had decided to turn around when he did. He'd been walking for an hour, starting to feel thirsty, and wondering why he hadn't bumped into the Doctor yet. He was sure he had been going in the right direction, but then again he had been a bit disorientated due to the fall.

As he turned round, sun slowly setting, he saw the smoke rising up in front of him. Hopefully the forest wasn't about to go up in flames, because that would make a bad day worse. No, this had to to be the Doctor, that was the only reason.

He grinned, thinking about how grateful Graham would be, and how his kindly grandfather would no doubt buy him a new phone in gratitude for him being alive. The latest model was due to to come out, and a time machine meant that he didn't technically have to wait.

He kept that thought in mind as he pushed his way through the foliage, making sure to keep an eye on the smoke column. It never seemed to get any closer, no matter how much he weaved his way through the dense vegetation. Around him birds chirped, and he swore he saw some sort of strange lizard run by. But, after much walking, he finally stumbled across the campfire.

It was just a shame that no one was there.

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"So when are we?" Graham asked, ideally throwing twigs into the campfire.

"Well it's definitely New Zealand," the Doctor replied. "Only Aotearoa has such beautiful vegetation. As for when, well..."

"Well?"

"New Zealand didn't get any settlers until around the twelve-hundreds," the Doctor said. "So it's entirely possible that no one is here yet."

"So you're saying this entire country is uninhabited?"

"Don't let the kiwis hear you say that, they have a nice thing going here. Honestly that's a bit of the problem with New Zealand. It's so committed to preserving its nature that it's hard to tell when one is based on forest alone. We could be in the past, we could be in the future, we won't know till someone comes along."

"If they come along," Graham pointed out.

"Yes... Still, lets not be too pessimistic. I'm sure there's someone on their way to greet us right now."

No sooner were the words out of her mouth than a man came out of the forest, aiming his weapon at them. He was followed by a few other men, all primed for a fight.

"Hello," the Doctor said cheerily, getting up and offering a hand. "You must be the local Maori people. I'm the Doctor, and this is my friend Graham."

"They don't look friendly," Graham said nervously.

"Graham!" the Doctor said in shock. "Don't go jumping to conclusions, that's just rude. No, I'm sure they're here to help us."

The Maori man, the leader, said something to the both of them in his native language. The Doctor and Graham looked at each other and shrugged. For some reason what was being said to them wasn't being translated as fluently as it normally would be, instead just bits and pieces.

"Come with us," the leader said, brandishing his intricately carved wooden club.

"Certainly," the Doctor said. "It's just that we're waiting for a friend, and my other friend here isn't in a position to move..."

"Come with us," said the leader, "or you will die."

"I don't think we want either option, thanks," the Doctor said.

"Die it is," said the man, as he prepared to swing his club, aimed directly at the Doctor's head.


	19. Tarawera - Episode Two

Doctor Who

Tarawera

Episode Two

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The club sailed harmlessly past the Doctor's head, instead hitting the bird that was fluttering near it. The man picked it up, passing it to one of his friends.

"Sorry about that," he said. "We couldn't pass up the opportunity to catch a tūī."

"Don't mention it," said the Doctor brightly. "Now about our friend..."

"If you stay here, you will die," the man said. "You will not survive the night without protection. Come with us, and we'll leave someone here to look after your friend."

"That would be nice of you," the Doctor said. "But my friend has a broken leg..."

"We can carry him," said the leader, nodding to two of his men, who went over to help him up.

"Doctor," hissed Graham, as the Doctor went over to help. "Why is it that we can understand them better now and not earlier?"

"I suspect it took the TARDIS a few moments to translate the language," the Doctor said. "That's really bad."

"It is?" Graham asked.

"It means she might be seriously damaged. We need to get to her so I can do some repairs."

"And how do we plan to get to her if she's in a crater?"

"One problem at a time Graham," the Doctor replied, as their new friend led them away. "Lets just get everyone back together first." She smiled at her friend, hoping against hope that somehow they'd find Ryan, and everything would be alright. It was all she could do.

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"Welcome to our marae," said the chief, getting up to welcome the Doctor and Graham.

"We are most welcome," said the Doctor with a respectful bow. She held her hand out to the chief, who took it. They rested their foreheads together and breathed in simultaneously.

"You know what a hongi is?" the chief asked, surprised.

"It's important to know about other people's cultures," the Doctor said. "Plus it's only right to respect you after you saved us."

"I suspect the reason you ended up so far into the forest will no doubt be an interesting story," said the chief, sitting back and relaxing.

"More than you know," said the Doctor. "Tell me, have the earthquakes been happening often?"

"On occasion," the chief replied. "It's nothing to worry about. Tell me, did you come to visit the Te Otukapuarangi?"

"The what?" asked Graham in confusion, as he struggled to get comfortable on the floor with his sore leg.

"Te Otukapuarangi?" the chief said in confusion. "Sorry, your Te Reo is mostly flawless, I'm confused why you don't understand."

"Oh we are," the Doctor said quickly. "Forgive my friend, he's still learning the language, some things are still outside his grasp."

"But of course," the chief said with a smile. "I'll arrange for a few of the men to take you there at some point, it'll help with your leg. Until then, make yourself at home."

"I must say, you're very hospitable," the Doctor said, as she admired the carvings on the wall.

"All our welcome in our village. Pointless fighting will get us nowhere."

"Lovely to hear it chief..."

"You can call me Potatau," said the chief. "And you are?"

"I'm the Doctor, and this is Graham. We're also travelling with a young man, Ryan.."

"We are looking for him as we speak. Don't worry, my men know these forests well, they'll be able to find him. But you say you're a healer. I was wondering if you could help us."

"I'd certainly do my best," the Doctor said.

"Then your arrival is more fortuitous," said Chief Potatau. "Though I must say, we've seen quite a few doctors in the last few months, and they've all been willing to help. Come. We are having a hangi. You're welcome to join us."

"We'd be honoured," the Doctor said. "I just need to talk to my companion in private, if you don't mind."

The chief nodded, and the women looking after Graham stood back to leave him and the Doctor alone. She sat next to him, making sure to keep their voice a whisper.

"What is going on Doc?" Graham asked. "Why can't I understand everything he's saying? Why are some words not being translated?"

"As I said earlier, the TARDIS must be in trouble to not translate things properly. If we're not careful the circuits might die at any moment. But that's the least of our problems at the moment."

"Is it?"

"The fact that there was an earthquake is troubling. Granted it was only a small one, but I don't like what it could mean. Given how the chief didn't seem particularly shocked to see us and, well..."

"Well what?"

"I'll wait for Ryan to get here. But suffice it to say that if I'm right, then things are about to get very, very bad."

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The TARDIS lay on its side in the creator, doors open. Not that it would have mattered either way. Doors were nothing to the Child.

It walked through the TARDIS a little bit, remembering the olden times, what its father did during that time. It was unfair to force its father away from the TARDIS, but we was sure that its father would figure out a way of getting it back.

No, the Child had to get back into the TARDIS to learn the truth. It had to work out why. It could confront its father, sure, but not yet. Not until it had the others.

The Child was gone, as if he was never there. The TARDIS doors shut themselves, but still laid in the crater. Around them the ground rumbled, as deep below the earth, an unstoppable force was coming. And when it arrived, it was going to change the face of the planet forever.

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"Thank goodness you're here," said the Doctor, giving Ryan a hug when he was led into the village.

"Where are we?" Ryan asked, as he untangled himself from the Doctor's embrace.

"New Zealand," the Doctor said. "Told you I'd get to the right place."

"I don't think this is twenty-nineteen though."

"Well, no, actually it's somewhat closer to around eighteen eighty-six. But hey, a hundred and thirty three years off is actually rather good. And be glad it wasn't the other way, or things might be especially awkward for us at the moment."

"It's good to see you son," said Graham, as Ryan went over to him, the Doctor faintly aware that Ryan hadn't really bothered to listen to what she'd said. Typical, really. You just couldn't get the companions sometimes.

"Are you okay?" Ryan asked, looking at Graham's leg.

"I'll be fine. It's a clean break, it should heal in a few weeks if we wait here. Wherever here is."

"Here is Mount Tarawera," said the Doctor. "Home to the Pink and White Terraces. The eighth wonder of the world. A place so beautiful I had to create a schedule with myself to stop any more unfortunate meet-ups."

"You what?" Ryan asked.

"Downside to being a time traveller, it's easy to visit the same few places once the co-ordinates are set in. Lord knows that's why I keep seeming to end up in England more often than not. Anyway, the terraces are a pretty amazing sight, and I'd take the odd companion on a visit there to marvel it, and, well... Lets just say when three of me turned up at once we had to create a schedule so that we didn't keep bumping into each other and ruining the fun."

"You're telling me that you had to write things down on the calender to make sure you didn't keep running into yourself?" said Graham incredulously.

"What can I say, the TARDIS likes coming back here. There must be a bit of rift energy to help her refuel. Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked. The important thing is to get the TARDIS back."

"Before you bump into yourself?" Ryan asked.

"Yes," said the Doctor, slightly too quickly. Graham and Ryan eyed her suspiciously. Clearly there was something she wasn't telling them. Still, no need to press the matter now.

"Anyway we should be fine," the Doctor said. "As long as I remember who the chief is."

"What do you mean?"

"He clearly recognized me, or at least recognized the Doctor. Thing is, I don't remember him at all."

"Are you sure you've met?"

"Not in this body, but in general... No, I don't like this at all. Something feels wrong, like it's out of my control. I recommend we keep a low profile, don't attract any attention, while I work out how to get us back to the TARDIS. Hopefully by the end of the week we'll back on our travels. Cheer up," she added, seeing her companion's confused faces. "What's the worst that can happen?"

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The next three days passed by rather uneventfully. Without realizing it Graham and Ryan found themselves part of the community, fitting in rather well. It had taken a little while to get use to the clothing provided to them by the local iwi, but the Doctor put them at ease by wearing similar clothing, if still having her coat over the top. Ryan had been invited on a few hunting parties, earning the respect of the other men due to his willingness triumphing over his lack of experience. The Doctor made a few house calls, trying to make them as comfortable as possible. Graham, meanwhile, was getting to know the chief.

"I must say, this is rather wonderful," Graham said, as they sat in the hot pool. He couldn't quite get over how weird it felt to be having what was akin to a warm bath outside in nature, surrounded by some amazing beauty. He wished he'd brought a camera, in an attempt to preserve the occasion.

"It is quite amazing, yes," said the chief, laying his head back and trying to relax. The persistent cough made it quite difficult though.

"Are you okay?" Graham asked, looking at the man in concern.

"I'm fine," Potatau replied. "Just getting on in my age. I fear that I'm not long for this world."

"Oh don't say that. I thought the same thing once, but I managed to get better."

"I am glad to hear that. But this illness... it has been plaguing my village, along with others. It is not a good sign. Bad things are about to happen, and it is my responsibility to lead my people through it."

"I'm sure you'll do a good job. You seem to care about them a lot, and they have nothing but good things to say about you."

Potatau let out a mighty laugh, that was interrupted by another bout of coughing.

"It is kind of them to say so," he said. "But I wonder how many of them say good things because they choose to, and how many because they have to."

"What makes you say that?"

"Responsibility is a heavy burden. There have some that have been upset by my... choices, to socialize with the Pakeha. Some, meanwhile, blame this illness on me. I cannot say if they're not wrong."

The two men said nothing, lying in the warm water, contemplating how best to change the subject. Potatau decided to make the first move.

"Have you been travelling with the Doctor long?" he asked.

"I would say so, yes," said Graham hesitantly, wondering how long long was when you lived in a time machine.

"The Doctor is not what I expected. But the Doctor never is, from my experience?"

"You've met her before?"

"No, but I've met others that go by the name of 'Doctor'. They're very similar people, let me tell you. Clearly they must know each other very well. It seems like we had a Doctor visit almost every other day."

"Is that so? What were these Doctors like?"

"Oh wildly different, and yet somehow the same. Tall, short, male, female, black, white. They were clearly different people and yet, it's almost as if it was the same person."

He let out another mighty laugh.

"But this is of course absurd," he said. "My grandfather told me the same stories, of various Doctors appearing throughout his life, convinced that they were the same person who could change their body at will. No doubt I'll tell my grandchildren these stories, if only to keep them forever guessing. But enough of doctors. Tell me about yourself. What is life like where you're from?"

"It's, err... It's certainly different. We don't have anything like this in Sheffield."

"Is there someone waiting for you in this Sheffield?"

"There was... Her name was Grace. We met when I was sick. She helped me get better."

"A great healer, was she?"

"I suppose. She certainly made me feel better. That woman had a knack of just lighting up the world whenever she entered a room."

"I'm sorry for your loss. She sounds a lot like your Doctor friend."

"Yeah, I suppose she does... Truth be told, I can't say I know the Doctor all that well. She just offered me a chance to escape from my problems and, well, I took it. I say it was for Ryan but really... I don't know how much longer I have left, I might as well see the universe. Better than being trapped at home, waiting to die, robbing Ryan of his life..." Graham shuddered at the thought of Ryan giving up everything to look after him.

"I envy you, Graham O'Brien. How wonderful it must be to leave your world behind. I have to stay, for the sake of my people. They are my responsibility, and I love them all."

Graham and Potatau smiled at each other, before relaxing back in the water. Graham had to admit, it was making his leg feel a lot better.

"I shall miss you, Graham," said Potatau. "When you eventually leave. I just hope you won't forget an old fool like me."

"Of course not," said Graham, before turning away and looking at nature. It really was a beautiful place.

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"There you go," the Doctor said, as she set the shoulder back into place. "Should be right as rain in a few days. Just don't get into any more fights."

"We were only mucking around," the young man said defensively.

"Yes, well, now you've learned a lesson. Off you go."

The young man let out a sheepish grin and left the hut to go back hanging out with his mates. The Doctor sat back, content. It wasn't in her nature to stay in one place for too long, but the TARDIS wasn't going anywhere, and was in a mostly safe place.

"Just another eight weeks, huh Doctor?" Ryan asked, as he entered the hut they were given by the chief. It wasn't a lot, but it was comfortable enough.

"Graham needs both legs to climb up that mountain," the Doctor replied. "Cos I'm certainly not carrying him all the way.

"The TARDIS is safe?"

"Oh undoubtedly. Turns out that the translation circuit is fine, just needed a little while to kick in. No, I'm sure the old girl is probably enjoying the break just as much as we are."

"So we're just going to wait here?"

"I see no reason to leave. Its been a while since I've lived somewhere, nice change of pace."

"I must admit, it has been nice to get to know the locals," Graham said. "Even if I haven't quite gotten use to their culture. One of the women was talking about how they saw a phantom war waka sailed across the lake."

The Doctor froze, her face going pale.

"How long ago did this happen?" the Doctor asked.

"Three, four days I think. Why, is it important?"

"Important?" said the Doctor. "This time next week the mountain will erupt, and this village will be wiped off the face of the Earth!"


	20. Tarawera - Episode Three

Doctor Who

Tarawera

Episode Three

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"Hold on a moment Doc," said Graham sceptically. "You're saying that mountain is actually a volcano, and it's about to go up?"

"Couldn't put it better myself," the Doctor said, pacing around the small hut.

"So is it going to destroy the TARDIS?" Ryan asked in concern.

"Maybe. I don't know. It's not something I want to risk. We need to get to it and get out of here before the mountain explodes."

"But I can't make the climb," said Graham. "Can you bring the TARDIS back down here and pick me up like you did in the base with the P'Ting?"

"Not reliably," the Doctor said. "You won't believe how long it took me to get back to you three, and even then there's no guarantee that I'll be able to do it again. Plus crossing my own time stream like that does incalculable damage to the surrounding area... One wrong move and I might end up poisoning the entire country with stray tachyons for the next thousand years."

"So I take that as a no?"

"Only if you're against making New Zealand uninhabitable. No, if we can't get to the TARDIS, we're gonna need the TARDIS to come to us."

"How are you going to do that?" Ryan asked.

"After the P'Ting incident I installed an emergency recall button for these exact situations," the Doctor said. "But..."

"But?"

"It's still in its early stages, and needs a tremendous amount of power to work. I was hoping to upgrade it next time we hit a more advanced civilization, but right now we got nothing."

"How much power would it need?"

"It's not a matter of 'how much' but 'how consistent'. It essentially needs a battery to continually charge up the key, one that could last for days without running out."

"So like this then?" Ryan asked, holding up his cracked phone. The Doctor saw it and broke into a massive grin.

"Ryan I love you right now," she said, picking up the phone and looking at it. "I mean I'm a bit annoyed that you cracked it, but I always told Steve that his obsession with thinness was always a character flaw."

"So will it work?"

"If I happen to have the right things with me..." the Doctor rummaged around in her pockets, pulling out all sorts of random junk, before finally landing upon a couple of wires and a charger for the phone.

"In theory I just need to hook the key up to the phone and we should be in business... Quick, lets move."

"Why?" asked Graham, struggling to get up.

"No, you can stay here. Ryan, grab my stuff. We need to go somewhere secluded so not to have it detected."

"Do you really need all this stuff?" Ryan asked, as he struggled to pick everything up.

"Be prepared," the Doctor said, before turning back. "Did I tell you Bobby stole that? But then again he did save my life during-"

"Doctor!" said Ryan urgently.

"Right, yes. Lets see if this works."

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It was a bit of a trek, but the Doctor eventually found a clearing that looked undisturbed. Ryan said that the hunting parties never came this way, and it looked as good as any other part of the forest.

Gingerly the Doctor put the phone in a small hole in a tree trunk, charger sticking out of it. She connected some wires together, extending the cord, until she was a few feet away. Carefully she touched the wires to the key.

The result was instantaneous, and instantly strange. The key hung in the air, as if in some invisible lock. Around it the air shimmered in a familiar shape. The Doctor stood back, beaming.

"Never let anyone tell you that you spend too much time with your phone," the Doctor said, looking over the connection one more time.

"So the TARDIS is going to teleport here?"

"In theory, yes. It's a short hop, and it might leave a few rooms behind, but the majority of it should get here in a week or so."

"Isn't that how long we have until the mountain erupts?"

"Yes, it is going to be a bit down to the wire unfortunately. But the old girl hasn't let me down... well, not recently anyway. Well, not recently recently, anyway."

"So what do we do now?"

"We wait. And not mention what's about to happen to anyone."

"Why not?"

"I'll explain when we're with Graham. Quick, we better go before he does something stupid."

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"How is your leg, my friend?" chief Potatau asked as he entered the little hut.

"Oh, it's fine," said Graham cheerfully. "It's certainly healing. Again I have to thank you for your hospitality, I don't know what we would have done without you."

"Don't mention it. You have been a great help to our community with your wisdom and your stories. Where do you get these imaginative ideas from?"

"Oh you know, guess I'm just a good storyteller."

"I would say so. That one you said, about a waka that can sail amongst the stars, that was delightfully unusual."

"It's nothing, really. I mean it has been great, hearing your people's stories and beliefs. Really eye-opening."

"I'm glad we can educate each other. Where is the Doctor and your other friend?"

"Oh they went for a walk. I'm a little envious of that, if I'm honest."

"Don't fret, you'll be back on your feet in no time." Potatau smiled at him, and Graham smiled back. But Graham couldn't help but feel like there was some other reason why the chief chose to visit him, and gave him such personal attention.

"Potatau, I think there's something you should know-" began Graham. He was interrupted, however, by the Doctor bursting in, quickly followed by Ryan.

"Chief Potatau," the Doctor said. "Fancy seeing you here. Real pleasure. Graham hasn't told you anything important, by any chance?"

"Only that you are making him envious with all your walking," said Potatau. "If you were truly considerate friends you'd be sitting here keeping him coming." He let out another big laugh and slapped Graham on the back.

"Yes, we truly are the worst of friends," the Doctor said with a smile. "I was just wondering, is it okay that I talk to him alone for a moment?"

"By all means," said Potatau. "I hope we'll see you tonight?"

"Oh yes, definitely, not going anywhere at all."

"I meant for dinner, but that is also good to know." Potatau left, whistling happy. The Doctor waited till he was gone, and hurriedly turned back to Graham.

"Did you tell him anything? About the volcano?"

"What? No. I mean I thought about it."

"Don't. We can't let anyone know that the volcano is going to explode."

"Why not?" asked Ryan. "Shouldn't we evacuate the village, warn people, get everyone to safety?"

"We can't. This is a fixed point in time. I should have known, I felt it as soon as I got here."

"A fixed point in time?" said Graham incredulously. "If you're making any of this up..."

"Trust me, I'm not. A fixed point in time is a moment in time that cannot be changed at all costs. Do that, and you break time. Literally."

"But how do you know it's a fixed point in time?" asked Ryan.

"I just do, okay? It's... Look, what colour is the sky?"

"Blue?" said Ryan in confusion.

"And what does that wood feel like?"

"I dunno, a bit coarse, a bit smooth," said Graham. "Why are you-"

"And if you bit into a lemon you'd know the taste of it, right?"

"I mean yes-"

"You humans, your five senses, you see the world in such a limited. But for us Time Lords, time is another sense we have. It's something that we just know. And I know that this is a fixed point in time, the same way you know the sky is blue, or what something feels like, or how a lemon tastes. It exists within me, it is a part of me, and I can tell you when there is a fixed point in time, and it is now. We cannot change what is going to happen. We can only leave before then."

"But what about everyone here?" Graham asked. "Can't we save them?"

"Best case scenario is that time breaks, and they live in some strange mish-mash of history that exists for moments before the entire universe ends quite horribly. Worst case scenario, they blame us and try to kill us. But no matter what we do, these people are going to die, and there's nothing we can do to stop it."

"Even the children?" Ryan had a knack at asking the awkward questions, the ones the Doctor didn't want to think about. But if she didn't answer them, then she wouldn't be doing them any favours.

"This village is forgotten about by history," the Doctor said. "That means that they get wiped out, and forgotten about, and become nothing but statistics. I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do."

"No," said Ryan angrily. "No, no, no! No you can't tell me that we have to sit here and leave these people to die! I won't allow it."

"That's the price with time travelling," said the Doctor, trying to keep herself calm. "Sometimes bad stuff happens, and there's nothing you can do to change it."

"But we change history all the time, don't we?" asked Graham.

"Again, fixed points in time. Trying to change this is like making lemons sweet, or the sky red, or make touching someone as painful as shoving your hand into glass. Those changes would destroy everything."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Ryan asked, simmering away.

"Because I wasn't sure," the Doctor said. "I hoped... I hoped that I was wrong. Even though I knew I wasn't. If I was wrong, then we'd be fine, but..."

"I need some air," Ryan said, turning to leave, but stopped when the Doctor grabbed his arm.

"You can't tell anyone. Seriously. It won't change anything, and it'll only ruin what little time they have left. Don't you want them to be happy?"

"Whatever," said Ryan, shrugging the Doctor off and going outside. She watched him leave, feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders.

"He'll be alright," said Graham half-heartedly. "He's a smart lad, he won't do anything too stupid."

The Doctor sat down, head in her hands, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Hey now," said Graham softly, awkwardly shuffling over to the Doctor. "Everything's going to be okay."

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said. "I thought this time would be different, this time I wouldn't force my friends to go through this. That I'd keep you all safe."

"It's okay," said Graham, holding the Doctor as she sobbed. "It's okay."

It wasn't okay. It couldn't be okay. But for all the talk of being a Time Lord, Graham had never seen the Doctor so vulnerable. So open. So... human.

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The next week passed by the three of them as if it was a dream. They went about their usual routines: Ryan hunting with the boys, the Doctor treating the sick, Graham keeping Potatau company. They said the right thing and smiled at the right times and acted as normal as they could possibly be, even though it was impossible to be normal about all this.

It was the children that hit Ryan the most. Seeing the young ones run around playing, or helping their parents. A young boy on the cusp of manhood, ready to join his brothers on the battlefield. A little girl helping her mother tend to her newborn sister. All without realizing that there was a ticking clock above their heads.

The Doctor had tried to justify it, saying that everyone was going to die, that we all had ticking clocks above their heads. That knowing you were about to die would only make things worst, because she'd seen it many a time. That ignorance was better than sitting around, waiting for it all to end.

Graham continued to chat with Potatau, getting to know the man quite well, as they grew closer as friends. It was clear that Potatau was sick, very sick, and yet he still did his best to put on a brave face. They talked about their lives and troubles, the various things they'd done, how the young ones don't respect their elders whereas they were always nothing but respectful back in the day. They chatted, all the while Graham sat there knowing what was going to happen.

The Doctor, meanwhile, tended to her patients. She went above and beyond to help in any way she could, even using a few items that weren't strictly-speaking period accurate. No one deserved to spend their last few days miserable. It was bending the rules of time, sure, but as long as they didn't break...

"We're surrounded by the dead every day," the Doctor had said one night, as the three of them took solace in her hut. "Whenever we travel into your past, everyone you meet, they're already dead to you. Whenever we go into the future, you are dead to them, merely ghosts given flesh. That is the price of time travel."

But Ryan's friends didn't feel dead, not when one of them gripped his hand as they got a tattoo on their leg, making the community proud. They joked, saying that Ryan should get one, and he joked with them, knowing that the plans would never get fulfilled.

So the three of them kept going about their daily routine, acting as if there wasn't a care in the world. They tried not to make their last night sound as if they were making goodbyes, they didn't want to create suspicion, but lying directly to the faces of those they came to care about...

Ryan dreaded that eventual night but, in some ways, was relieved when it finally came. If nothing else, the lying would eventually be over.

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"Just a little further Graham," the Doctor said, as she and Ryan helped him along. Graham nodded, trying to ignore the pain in his leg. They were cutting it rather close, but they had to be sure no one spotted them leaving.

"Here we are," the Doctor said, as they stood in the clearing, her headlamp spinning around. The TARDIS was there, in all its beauty. A welcomed sight.

"Now we just need to get in and leave before-" The Doctor was cut off by a familiar voice.

"Graham?" Chief Potatau asked. "What is that on your head."

"Oh no," the Doctor said, as the man's face lit up as three headlamps shone upon him.

"And what is that wooden box doing here? Why have you left the village?"

The Doctor stood still, desperately trying to think of some sort of lie to distract the guy. Ryan, meanwhile, put Graham down and went over to the TARDIS, opening it up.

"Doctor..." said Ryan nervously.

"Bit busy," the Doctor said.

"No, Doctor, you'll really want to see this," said Ryan. The Doctor turned and looked into the TARDIS... to find nothing but a hollow shell, the interior of any ordinary police box.

"No no no," she whispered frantically, jumping inside of it and putting out her hands.

"Doctor?" asked Ryan.

"It hasn't been enough time, it hasn't fully materialized yet," she whispered. "It needs more energy."

Suddenly the ground shook violently, almost sending them to the ground. The Doctor got out the TARDIS and joined the other three looking up at the mountain.

"It's starting," the Doctor said. "In two hours that mountain will erupt. And we have nowhere to go."


	21. Tarawera - Episode Four

Doctor Who

Tarawera

Episode Four

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"What do we do?" Ryan asked desperately, as the ground continued to shake violently. Graham and chief Potatau also looked at her expectantly.

"Right," the Doctor said, coming up with an idea as she spoke. "The TARDIS needs some more energy to finish the transfer. The earthquakes give off energy. We just need to take that energy and transfer it into the TARDIS."

"And how do we do that?" Graham asked, as the ground shook again.

The Doctor rustled about in her pockets, before pulling out a strange looking gizmo. It was a short stick with some sort of round, alien contraption on the top. She plugged it into the ground before racing over and grabbing Ryan's phone, yanking the wires out and placing it into the contraption instead.

As the ground kept shaking the wires lit up, with the TARDIS following suit. Looking through the doors the Doctor could see the console room slowly materializing.

"What is going on?" asked Potatau, struggling to stand up. He didn't get very far, however, before he was thrown off his feet, his head hitting an exposed branch. Ryan ran over to him to find the man passed out cold.

"Probably all the better," the Doctor said, as she struggled to stand. "Won't have any more awkward questions. Hopefully this will power up the ship."

"Hopefully?" Graham asked in concern.

"The guy I brought this off was very vague about whether it'd work," the Doctor admitted, as she shut the TARDIS doors to help with the energy transfer.

"What do we do now?" Ryan asked, giving up on getting up.

"We wait," the Doctor said. "And hope for the best."

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"Nearly there," the Doctor said, having another peak inside the TARDIS. They'd been sat there for just over two hours now, as the world seemed to tear itself apart. It was a stressful few hours, the three of them unable to find the energy to talk.

Suddenly there was a massive explosion. The three of them looked up to see gigantic columns of ash and smoke pour out of the mountains. The explosion woke up Potatau, who quickly scrambled around.

"We need to get out of here before the ash buries us," the Doctor said, opening the TARDIS and gesturing Ryan to get in.

"Is it safe?" Ryan asked.

"Safer than out here," the Doctor said. "Now go."

As Ryan got in it was like the noise and turbulence of the outside world just disappeared. Here in the TARDIS everything was calm, everything was relaxed. It was almost as if the last week and a half had been a dream.

Outside was a different story. The Doctor struggled to pick Graham up as rocks started to skitter all around her. Graham tried to help, but the constant shaking had damaged his leg pretty badly.

"Come on Graham," the Doctor said, trying to heave her friend up, remembering how ineffective it was when they first got here. "It's not that far, you just got to work with me."

"I'm trying Doc," said Graham, gritting his teeth through the pain. But it was clear that the longer they took to get to the TARDIS, the less likely they were to survive. He was about to tell the Doctor to leave him when suddenly he felt someone pick him up from the other side.

"Quickly now," Potatau said, half-carrying half-dragging the injured man towards the TARDIS. All three of them piled in just as some unfortunately large rocks landed just where they had been moments ago.

The Doctor dropped Graham and rushed to the console, flicking some switches and pressing some buttons. The familiar wheezing sound of the TARDIS echoed through the room, before stalling.

"Oh come on," the Doctor said, hammering away at the console.

"What now?" Ryan asked, as he heard the rumble from outside. Suddenly something landed on his cheek. A small bit of ash, nothing more. But as he looked up he realized that he could see the night sky.

"The TARDIS isn't all here," the Doctor said. "It's still got some of it outside of the external shell. Safety procedure, it won't take off."

"Why am I feeling dirt?" Graham asked, before flinching as a rock narrowly bounced by him.

"The TARDIS is trying to be in two places at once," the Doctor said, as her hand went through the console as she tried to press a button. "The pressure is tearing the ship apart."

"Well do something," said Ryan.

"Don't you think I'm trying?" grunted the Doctor, as she pulled down a rather heavy leaver. "Come on old girl, focus on me, you know me."

"Doctor," said Graham worriedly, as more ash continued to fall. The walls were almost opaque now, and he could see lava starting to sprout from the mountain.

"Fine, if that's how you want to play it," snarled the Doctor, giving the console a swift kick. Suddenly it whirled into life, the wheezing sound filling the air. All around them the walls seemed to get a bit firmer, a bit more defined, a bit more in focus.

It was only a few moments later that they'd stopped. The Doctor let out a sigh of relief, before patting the console.

"I'm sorry, I really am," she said lovingly.

"What just happened?" asked Ryan.

"I forced the TARDIS to leave some of itself behind," the Doctor said. "Poor dear, it must have been like ripping off her own arm."

"Where are we?" Graham asked, getting to his feet, the nanomachines in the TARDIS already working to heal his leg.

"Where we were. I just shunted us a few days in the future, long after everything has settled down."

"Am I dead or mad?" Potatau asked, as he looked at his surroundings.

"Neither," the Doctor said. "Sorry, bit of a culture shock I know, didn't really plan for you to be here. Thanks for saving Graham though."

"You must be gods," said Potatau, closing his eyes in the hopes of shutting out the madness before him.

"No, just simple travellers. Anyway, I've brought you home." The Doctor went over to Potatau and gently picked him up, opening the door and leading him outside. Potatau surveyed the landscape before him. The forest has been flattened, instead covered in ash and rock. A barren wasteland devoid of life.

"What happened?" he asked fearfully.

"The volcano erupted and destroyed most of the surrounding area," the Doctor said. "I'm sorry, there was nothing I could do."

"My village," Potatau said, suddenly taking off before any of them could stop them. The three of them quickly followed, weaving there away around stumps and rocks littering the landscape. It wasn't long before what would have been the village was in sight, but Potatau kept running, as if it would suddenly spring up before him.

"Where is it?" Potatau asked desperately. "Where is my village?"

"This is all that is left of it," the Doctor said. "The volcano wiped it out. I'm sorry, there were no survivors."

Potatau didn't say anything, standing perfectly still, eyes swivelling. Suddenly he collapsed to the ground, as if his strings had been cut. He lay on the ground, lifeless, as his three friends hurried over to him.

"He's alive," the Doctor said. "Just in a state of shock."

"What are we going to do with him Doctor?" Graham asked. "I mean he's the only survivor, is there any way we can help?"

"I... don't know," the Doctor admitted. "This wasn't suppose to have happened."

"Well it happened," said Ryan. "You can't change the past."

"No," the Doctor admitted, looking round.

"I want to go back," Potatau said, his face completely emotionless.

"Out of the question," the Doctor said. "Attempting to land the TARDIS there will cause all sorts of problems. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to live with this."

"No," said Potatau.

"I'm sorry."

"I can not live with this. A man is nothing without his people. A chief is nothing without his tribe. I have nothing, am nothing, and will become nothing shortly."

"You can't just give up," said Graham, but Potatau glared angrily at you.

"I trusted you," he sneered. "I thought you were something special, but now I see you for the demons you are. If you will not help me then leave me. Let me be with my people for what time I have left."

"Potatau-" Graham said, reaching a hand down to the man, but he batted it away, instead curling up into a ball and crying.

"Doctor," said Graham, looking helplessly at his friend. The Doctor looked back at them, hearts sinking.

"Okay then," she said. "Okay. Wait here, I'm going to go grab something."

"What?" asked Ryan.

"Just... trust me, please. Keep him company. Hopefully I won't be too long. I might be able to give him what he wants after all."

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"This is going to break all the laws of time," the Doctor said. "In fact it's entirely possible that nothing will grow here ever again if you do this. The consequences this could have are incalculable."

"Will it work?" Potatau asked.

"Yes. I think so at least. I can't be sure. I've never attempted anything like this before."

"What are you doing Doctor?" Ryan asked.

"I'm going to send him back in time using the vortex manipulator," the Doctor said, nodding to the device on his wrist. "But make sure the vortex manipulator stays here so it isn't accidentally discovered. It's a risky move, and there's no guarantee that this is going to work."

"I don't mind the risk," Potatau said. "As long as it lets me be with my people."

"You realize that once you get back there there's nothing you can do. You can't evacuate, you can't save them, you have to stay there with them and wait out the end."

"You managed to do so. Tell me, when did you know that this was going to happen?"

"Just over a week ago."

"And all this time you said nothing, did nothing, but waited for my people to die? You didn't allow us time to prepare ourselves, to get ready for the end? You disgust me Doctor. You truly are a monster. I was wrong to ever trust you."

The Doctor didn't reply, couldn't reply. Instead she finished programming the vortex manipulator.

"There we go," the Doctor said solemnly. "All you have to do is press the red button, and you should arrive in your village exactly when you left. You'll have just over two hours before..."

"I am ready," said Potatau, standing up straight and proudly. "Ryan, I wish we could have met in more favourable circumstances. You have done Graham proud with your skills. Graham... There's is so much I wish to say, but my tribe must come first."

Graham and Ryan nodded at the man, tears in their eyes. Potatau nodded back, likewise struggling not to cry. A look at the Doctor, however, steeled himself, and with one final hateful stare he pressed the button.

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The light was blinding, but quickly disappeared. He looked around, finding himself standing where he was before, in the heart of his village. Beneath him he could feel the ground shaking, as his people looked at him in terror. He checked his wrist, only to find the strange device the Doctor gave him gone.

"What do we do?" someone asked. Potatau turned to the man and smiled, projecting confidence.

"Do not worry," he said calmly, gingerly touching the young man's face. "We will be okay. This is nothing to fear. But we should stay with one another, comfort one another, to be on the safe side. I love all of you, and am proud of being your chief. You have made me the happiest man in the world."

"We love you to," said a young girl, beaming up at the chief. Potatau laughed, hugging the little girl, putting on the bravest face he could. It was only fair for his people not to fear.

He kept the peace throughout those hours, making sure to spend time with everyone, keeping everyone entertained. The kids soon enjoyed the earthquakes, making a game out of it. The elders were made comfortable, so not to be too hurt by the jostling. Everyone knew this was a story that they were going to tell for many years to come.

When the volcano erupted there was no time to flee, not really. Instead they sheltered in the marae as the world around them was torn apart, desperately saying their last goodbyes. The last thing Chief Potatau ever saw was his people, terrified, petrified, but at least they were all together here, at the end of all things. At least they were a whole.

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The Doctor picked up the vortex manipulator and put it in her pocket, before making her way back to the TARDIS. Graham and Ryan followed, none of them saying a word until they got inside, waiting for the ship to take flight.

"Did anyone remember them?" Graham asked.

"No, not really," admitted the Doctor. "History makes no mention of them. They are completely forgotten about in the march of time."

"So why couldn't we have saved them?" Ryan asked. "If history doesn't remember them, surely we could have saved them."

"You can't save everyone sometimes. Some destinies can't be rewritten. Some things are set in stone."

No one spoke for a moment, just listening to the gentle hum of the TARDIS in the background.

"You know, I wondered why I stopped going to the Pink and White Terraces," the Doctor said. "After a while none of my future incarnations seemed keen to turn up, despite my love for the place. Now I finally know why."

Again, silence, as the three of them didn't want to look at each other.

"Should we go somewhere nice?" the Doctor asked. "On a holiday of sorts?"

"No," Ryan said. "I want to go home. I want to talk to my Dad."

"Fair enough," the Doctor said, programming in the co-ordinates. Briefly she thought of her planet, her family, and how she felt when she thought they'd all be destroyed. Would she really have thought any differently than Potatau? If she had the option, would she have burned with her loved ones, died along with the planet?

The Doctor didn't want the answer, and didn't want to know. But as she walked around the console something caught her eye. A half-eaten biscuit, one that she certainly didn't remember biting into. She examined it closely, with a sneaky suspicion turning into a deep fear.

Someone, or something, had been in the TARDIS. And she had no idea what that meant.


	22. UNIT: Timefield - Episode One

"You know what we need?" the Doctor said suddenly, as she looked up from the various pieces of console she had dismantled and strewn around her.

Her companions, Ryan and Graham, glanced at each other worriedly. Whenever the Doctor came up with a suggestion it inevitably involved a lot of running up and down corridors.

"We need a holiday," she beamed, getting off the floor and over to one of the still-attached sections of the console. "And I know just the place."

With a familiar groan the TARDIS landed, the Doctor opening the doors to reveal...

"Oh," she said, somewhat disappointedly. "I was going to take you to Disneyland Luna, the biggest Disney theme park in the solar system."

"Yeah but Trafalgar Square ain't that bad," said Ryan, walking out to admire the view. "Gives me a chance to go see what my mates are up to, maybe go catch a game to-" Suddenly he was cut off, as he disappeared from view. One moment he was there, the next he was gone.

The Doctor grabbed Graham, to stop him from darting forward. At almost the exact moment military jeeps pulled, all bearing a familiar logo.

"I'm looking for the Doctor," said Kate Stewart, getting out of the van and making her way towards the TARDIS. "We need to find him immediately. Trafalgar Square has become a timefield. If we don't act fast, it won't be long before the entire planet is destroyed by it."

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Doctor Who

UNIT: Timefield

Episode One

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"Did you say timefield?" the Doctor asked. Kate nodded, looking at Graham. "So, Doctor, what do you suggest?"

"Me?" Graham said in shock, pointing at himself. "I ain't the Doc, she is."

Kate turned to the blond woman standing in front of her. In hindsight the dress sense gave it away.

"I see you've changed Doctor," said Kate wily.

"Yeah, new coat," the Doctor said absent-mindedly, getting out her sonic screwdriver. "Sorry, did you say a timefield?"

"That is what we have been told, yes."

"And who told you?"

"You did."

"Have I? Oh. This is going to get all timey-wimey, isn't it? I hate when it gets all timey-wimey, everything gets all wet."

"Timey-what?" asked Graham.

"I presume you've already got people seeing if they can reverse the polarity," the Doctor said, ignoring Graham.

"Naturally," Kate replied. "But at the moment it's spreading rapidly, and we have no idea how to contain it."

"Must be a pretty serious timefield then... Right, first thing we need to do is cordon off the area, make sure no one goes blundering in and accidentally makes things worse."

"Look hold on a minute," said Graham angrily. "If one of you could just tell me what the hell is going on here, and where my grandson is."

The Doctor turned to look at Graham, concern on her face.

"Oh I'm so sorry Graham," the Doctor said calmly. "I forgot all about you. Right, okay, explanations. You know how a minefield is filled with mines?"

"Yeah..." said Graham slowly, not liking where this seemed to be going.

"Well a timefield is filled with time mines. Little pockets of time. Same spacial location, different time period. Great to use on a battlefield if you don't care about the planet or causality in general. It's hard to mobilize an army when half of them have literally been blown into next week."

"So you're saying Ryan went through one of these time pocket thingys? Where is he then?"

"It isn't a question of 'where' Graham. It's a question of 'when'.

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"-night, I hear that-" Ryan stopped himself suddenly when he realized that the Doctor or Graham weren't behind him. What's more, no one was behind him. In fact nothing was what it had seemed like moments ago.

He was still in Trafalgar Square, that much was the same. The column was still standing pretty behind him. But everyone was wearing different clothes, and no one seemed to be on their smartphone. Ryan went for his own phone, before remembering that he hadn't thought to grab a replacement from the Doctor. He turned round, but the TARDIS wasn't there.

"You there," said a man, pulling up in a jeep. He was a military man, that much was obvious by his uniform and the soldiers flanking him.

"Err, hi?" Ryan said, wondering if he should put up his hands to try and make things easier for everyone.

"Where did you come from?" asked the man, clearly the one in charge.

"I was with the Doctor and then next moment I was... here?"

"The Doctor you say," said the man, mostly to himself. "Yes, I can see that he'd get himself mixed up with this. Tell me, where is the Doctor now?"

"I dunno, they were both behind me a moment ago."

"What's your name?"

"Ryan. Ryan Sinclair."

"Splendid. I'm Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, and if I know the Doctor it won't be long before he turns up and set things right. Sergeant Benton."

"Sir!" said another man, snapping to attention.

"Escort the boy back to UNIT HQ," commanded the Brigadier. "We'll let the Doctor know we have him when we find him."

"Sir!" said Benton, walking towards Trafalgar Square, before he too vanished in an instant.

"Fall back men," said the Brigadier urgently. "Young man, do you have any idea what happened to my Sergeant?"

"Mate, I am just as lost as you are," said Ryan. "I just wish the Doctor was here."

"Yes," said the Brigadier. "Don't we all."

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Sergeant Benton stopped, looking around in confusion. One moment it had been mid-afternoon, and now it was somewhat early morning. Plus there were people that weren't here a moment ago. He relaxed slightly upon seeing a telephone box. If nothing else, he was in safe hands.

"Lovely to see you again Doctor," said Sergeant Benton, walking forth to shake the hand of the man who was standing by the TARDIS.

"You what?" said Graham in shock. "I'm not the Doc."

"My apologizes sir," said Benton graciously. "If you could just point me in his direction."

"Huh?" said Graham in confusion. "The Doc's over there." He pointed at the two women currently in heated debate.

"You sure sir?" Benton asked, peering at the two women. "I always thought the Doctor was a man."

"Maybe that's her brother or something?" Graham asked with a shrug.

"So which one is the Doctor?"

"The blonde one," said Graham, before thinking through what he said and continuing with "I mean the one in the grey coat. The one with the blue trousers. Oh the one that look like she stepped out of a goodwill charity shop."

"Ah, I see what you mean. So you travel with her sir?"

"My grandson and I do, yeah."

"Your grandson goes by the name of Ryan?"

"Yeah! Wait, do you know where he is?"

"He is back with the Brigadier. Don't worry sir, he's in safe hands."

Graham let out a sigh of relief, some tension gone from him. Meanwhile the Doctor looked up from her conversation with Kate, letting out a massive smile.

"Sergeant John Benton," she said, running forward and giving him a massive hug. "Oh I haven't seen you in a donkeys. How have you been? Keeping yourself out of trouble."

"I... yes ma'am," he said sheepishly. "I see you've changed."

"Yeah, new shirt, thought I'd try out this colour. Wait, what are you doing here? You can't be here."

"I was rather aware of that myself ma'am. One moment I was walking forward to look after Ryan at Trafalgar Square, next thing I know I was... well, in Trafalgar Square, but different. I'm afraid I can't really make sense of it."

"You must have gone through the same time mine that he did... one way only though, otherwise Ryan would be back by now. Hold up, what year did you come from?"

"From..." Benton's struggled to think of the exact date. It could have been the 70s, or was it the 80s. Why couldn't he work it out.

"Oh that might explain things actually," the Doctor said.

"Explain what?" asked Graham.

"Why I could never remember when I worked with UNIT. This time mine must be poisoning the entire era, having all sorts of nasty effects on time itself. It's also spreading quite rapidly by the sounds of it."

"What happens if we don't stop it spreading?" Graham asked nervously.

"Oh nothing too bad," the Doctor said off-handedly. Graham and Benton shared a look of relief.

"The entire planet collapses into a time hole and is wiped from time and space, but otherwise the universe will be mostly fine."

"So how long do we have?" Benton asked.

"Oh I'd say a few weeks."

"To stop it?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, that's when the Earth is wiped out. No I reckon we have about three days max before it becomes unstoppable."

"Well that's not too-" began Graham.

"Three days across all the time zones. Every minute in each time zone adds to that overall counter. And without knowing how many time zones there are... well, lets just say at least when the world ends none of us will be around to notice it."

"So what do we do, Doctor?" Kate asked, having joined the conversation.

"I don't know," the Doctor admitted. "I'm afraid this could very well be the end of Earth itself."


	23. UNIT: Timefield - Episode Two

Doctor Who

UNIT: Timefield

Episode Two

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"The end of Earth itself?" Sergeant Benton said, as he stood in a Trafalgar Square that was a good few decades later than he had been previously standing in.

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Kate Stewart, as she watched the Doctor pace back and forth.

"Well normally I'd use my TARDIS as a minesweeper," the Doctor said. "But she is in a rather state of disrepair. Something got in recently and I'm trying to work out what."

"Hold up," Graham said. "Something got into the TARDIS?"

"Focus on the bigger picture Graham," the Doctor said. "We need to figure out how much time we have left."

"My team have been probing the area, sending in drones to try and survey the scene."

"Good work Kate. What have they found so far?"

"There seem to be at least eight different time periods, with this being the latest one based on initial reports. We have Osgood calculating our remaining time now."

"Good old Osgood," the Doctor said. "Though I do have a very important question that I need to ask her, one that has the fate of the world on its shoulder."

"What's that Doctor?"

"Can I borrow her scarf?"

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"So you're a travelling companion with the Doctor?" the Brigadier said, as he and Ryan stood near the jeep. So far they hadn't achieved much. Poked sticks to see how big the bubbles were, got out the yellow tape, stood around awkwardly while keeping an eye on the slowly-expanding timefield.

"Yeah, me and my grandfather."

"And what is the Doctor like?"

"Oh amazing, simply the best. Dead smart, always there for you. Shown us so much stuff as well."

"Good to hear it," the Brigadier said. It was maddening that the Doctor wasn't here at the moment. He'd only just disappeared with Doctor Sullivan and Miss Smith for some fool-hardy adventure, leaving them to deal with sticky situations such as this. Typical of the Doctor, to be right where you'd need him at exactly the wrong point in time.

"Here, how do you know the Doctor?" Ryan asked.

"We were fellow employees," the Brigadier said. "Working together at UNIT."

"What's UNIT?"

"United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. We deal with the odd, the unexplained, anything on Earth, or even beyond."

"You must do a pretty rubbish job then."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Well where has your lot been during all the invasions we've had? You don't seem to be dealing with them."

"I assure you UNIT does everything in its power whenever there's a crisis. What year are you from anyway?"

"Well it recently became twenty-nineteen, and when the Doctor called up UNIT they said it had been defunded or something."

"Really? I'll have to warn Geneva about that. Why was the Doctor calling UNIT?"

"Because a Dalek was roaming free." The Brigadier bristled in annoyance. Yes, Geneva was going to get a very stern call when this was all over.

"What year is it, anyway?"

"It's..." began the Brigadier, before stopping. For some reason he couldn't pinpoint the exact year.

"You okay?" Ryan asked.

"Lieutenant," the Brigadier said, the man immediately springing to attention. "What year is it?"

"It's, err..." the lieutenant looked sheepish and stared at the ground.

"Well man?"

"I don't actually remember sir. It isn't coming to me."

"That's not good, aye?" said Ryan in concern.

"No it is not," said the Brigadier, turning to his men. "Make sure you stay wide of the perimeter. Whatever this thing is, it appears to be having a dangerous effect on all of us."

"So what do we do now?" Ryan asked.

"Same thing we always do I'm afraid," the Brigadier said. "Keep the area safe and contained, make sure no members of the public are in danger, and hope that the Doctor turns up."

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"Wow, you're the Doctor?" squeed Osgood, as she started mentally jotting down where she might be able to find a coat just like that. "You're certainly different."

"Yeah it's the earring, thought I might try them out. Lovely to see you again." She gave Osgood a hug, the poor girl almost hyperventilating from excitement.

"Right, yes, well," she said, trying to compose herself after the hug. "As far as we can tell there seem to be eight time zones, ranging from what is believe to be the early middle ages, all the way up to modern day. There doesn't seem to be a pattern between the differing time zones, at least none that we've been able to figure out."

"So not a deliberate attack," the Doctor said. "That makes things slightly easier at least. Which one is the earliest one?"

"This one here," said Osgood, pointing to a specific bubble.

"That must be where it originated," the Doctor said. "The time bubble is designed to throw things into the future, not send them back into the past. But they're only suppose to work on a scale of a few hours or days, not entire centuries. No whoever was tinkering around with this knew what they were doing... I just don't get why."

"So what do you suggest?" Kate asked, as the Doctor looked at the information in front of her.

"In theory, all I'd need to do is go into the earliest bubble and try and disable the device from there. If I'm successful, then the time field will shut itself down, and everything will go back to normal."

"And you and Ryan will come back here?" Graham asked anxiously. "To this time period."

The Doctor bit her lip but said nothing.

"I know you're not telling me something Doc," Graham said.

"If I close the time portals then everyone stays where they are right now," the Doctor said. "If I don't close the time portals, everyone on this planet will have never have existed."

"So you're saying I'm going to be stuck in the future?" Benton asked.

"And Ryan is going to be stuck in the past?" Graham asked.

"And you're not going to be able to come back," said Kate. "You're going to be stuck in the late 1000s."

"Yes," the Doctor admitted sadly. "This is a one way trip. But there's no other choice. For the sake of the world, I must go back to the past... while there's still a past to get to, that is."


	24. UNIT: Timefield - Episode Three

Doctor Who

UNIT: Timefield

Episode Three

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"So why do you need the scarf?" Graham asked in confusion, as the Doctor tied it around her waist.

"As an indicator for how much time we have left," the Doctor said. "These time holes are growing outwards and starting to intersect. The scarf will let both of us know how much longer it is till the holes become too merge to be collapsed to their original singularity state. Plus there's an off-chance that I might be able to pull myself back through."

"Really?" said Graham hopefully.

"No, probably not, but it doesn't hurt to try. Right, while I'm in there, I need you to keep an eye the progress. Make sure no one wanders too close to the time holes, we can't risk anyone polluting the time stream. If all goes well this all goes away with no fuss."

The Doctor was about to step forward into an ordinary looking patch of concrete, before turning and pausing.

"Also keep an eye on the TARDIS, I'm not quite sure when I'd be back, but I don't want her getting grubby. Well, goodbye... for now."

The Doctor stepped forward, and her foot landed on soft grass. It was a stark contrast to her previous location. Gone was the concrete and metals of the twenty-first century, instead replaced with wood and bricks. No elaborate structures, just simple housing. A pre-Medieval village, probably no more than twelve thousand people. With one of them using highly dangerous technology. Time Lord technology. If the fool wasn't careful, it wouldn't be long before they destroyed the entire planet.

The Doctor got out her sonic screwdriver and did a quick scan, attempting to zero in on a location. At the same time she untied the scarf and put a big rock on it, hoping no one would move it. It did seem odd, having half the scarf just abruptly end without any apparent cut. Still, a quick experiment showed there was no way of walking through it by accident, and at least she now had a running clock about how much time she had left.

"Better get to it," she said to herself, and got ready to start searching the city, well unaware that someone was already searching for her... and whose search had been incredibly successful.

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"So we just wait here?" Graham asked, as he sat in the back of the army truck with Benton.

"Part of the soldier's life sometimes," Benton said, enjoying his sandwich. "Hurry up and wait."

"My grandfather was a soldier," said Graham. "Fought in the Great War. Never got to know much about him."

"Oh the soldier's life isn't all that bad. Hoping to have a command of my own some day, just like the Brigadier."

"'Ere, speaking of which, how do you and him know the Doc?"

"The Doctor works for us as a Scientific Advisor. Bang up chap, great to have in a tight spot."

"So the Doctor use to be a man?"

"Yeah, all three of them were pretty different from one another to be honest."

"Hold on, what?"

"Oh yeah, the Doctor has the ability to change his face. Regeneration, I think the Brigadier said. Yes, the Doctor is an odd sort all right."

"So you're saying that the Doc use to be able to change how she looked, just like that?"

"More or less, as far as I can tell... Why, has she never told you?"

"Just never really believed her, that's all. Half the stuff she says seems like complete fancy."

The men sat together in silence, before Graham asked the question he wanted to ask.

"What happens if you get stuck here? In this time period, I mean."

"I don't know," said Benton, putting down his sandwich. "I suppose I'll just have to make the best of it, won't I. Try to see if I can have an active role in the military again, hopefully pick up my career."

"It doesn't upset you, not being able to see your friends and family again."

"Oh it's not ideal sir, but all things considered, this isn't the worst possible fate for me. Given what I've seen with the Doctor, this is honestly rather pleasant."

Graham couldn't think of a reply, and so didn't.

"Your grandson will be looked after though," said Benton reassuringly. "The Brigadier is a man you can trust, he'll make sure your boy comes to no trouble."

"It's less his safety and more..." Graham trailed off, struggling to explain how he felt.

"I wouldn't give up hope though sir," said Benton with a smile. "I know the Doctor, he... she's capable of doing all sorts of amazing things. Just you watch, she'll figure out a way of putting everything right."

"Sergeant Benton?" asked Kate, as she walked around the back of the truck.

"Yes ma'am?" said Benton, getting to his feet.

"The bubbles are getting wider, we're appreciate you doing some crowd control to stop any civilians from getting too close."

"Yes ma'am," said Benton, leaving the truck and following the other soldiers. Kate came in, taking his place.

"Hello again," said Kate.

"Hello," said Graham, still deep in thought.

"I have to ask, where's your third companion?"

"What third companion?"

"The young girl you were travelling with. We brought you in together, but if something happened to her..."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Graham honestly. Kate said nothing, wondering if there was something that he wasn't telling them about Yasmin Khan. Still, better not press the issue, she could work it out later.

"I just wanted to let you know we're doing all we can to contact your grandson," she said reassuringly, putting a hand on his knee.

"Thank you," said Graham. Kate nodded and left, leaving the old man alone in the back of the truck. Graham got out his phone to see if there were any messages, but no one seemed to have wanted to contact him.

"Granddad," said a voice, a familiar voice, but somehow different. As if there was a small but noticeable change. But if it was true then...

Graham turned his head to see the military man standing in front of him, about his age, tears on his face. No, there was no doubt about it.

"Ryan?" whispered Graham.

"I came back," Ryan said, before Graham jumped out of the truck and gave him a hug.

"Oh Ryan, look at you," Graham said. "All grown up like me. But this is great, isn't it?"

"I'm afraid not," Ryan said tearfully. "By doing this, it means that I'm now stuck in the past. You can never see the young me again."

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"Thanks for agreeing to look after me," said Ryan, as he sat in the back of a military truck.

"Think nothing of it," the Brigadier said. "One way or another we always look after one of our own. I mean if you ever wanted to join UNIT I'm sure we can find some place for you."

"Thanks," Ryan said with a smile, but raising his hand. "But I don't think my dyspraxia will let me."

"Nonsense man,' said the Brigadier. "We have plenty of positions in our organization, we can find something that fits you."

Ryan smiled, finding the other man a strange comfort. It was no surprise that the Doctor liked him so much, he was like a steadfast rock in a turbulent sea.

"Sir!" said another military man.

"What is it?" the Brigadier asked.

"You'll want to have a look at the column sir. The men were cordoning off the area when, well..."

"Well what? Out with it man."

"It'll probably make more sense if you come see for yourself sir."

The Brigadier bristled in annoyance, mentally reminding himself to go over communication skills in the next training session, before getting out of the truck. Ryan followed, having little else to do for the moment.

Carefully the two of them were led passed weaving lines of yellow safety tape, to the base of one of the most famous columns in the world. Up close it looked remarkably unremarkable, just as it had any other day of the week.

"I don't see-" began Ryan, but their guide cut them off.

"We think it might have been from wear and tear over the centuries," he said. "Or maybe everything going on around this place is having an effect. We were examining it for damage, when, well..."

"Well?" said the Brigadier. The man stepped forward and pushed on an ordinary looking crack. There was a slight rumble as part of the column seemed to slide into itself, creating a doorway for them to walk through. The three men entered to find...

"It's bigger on the inside," the military man said, as Ryan led the way inside, followed closely by the other two men.

"It's like the TARDIS," said Ryan in shock. "Nelson's column... is a TARDIS?"

"I suppose that leads to the more important question," the Brigadier said. "Who does it belong to? And where are they now?"


	25. UNIT: Timefield - Episode Four

Doctor Who

UNIT: Timefield

Episode Four

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The Doctor walked around the small settlement that would eventually become the London she knew and loved. She had to be careful not to accidentally walk into any of the time bubbles, wherever they might be. She discreetly held the sonic screwdriver in one hand, a large stick not so discreetly in the other. She constantly scanned the area around her, as she poked her stick forward, making sure not to walk into anything too temporally unfortunate.

Her search led her to an unassuming house, but one that her screwdriver was determined to drag her into. She knocked on the door, rocking backwards and forwards on her feet as she patiently waited. She gave a bright smile to the nun that opened the door.

"Hello there," she said, bringing out her psychic paper. "Fireplace inspector, just making sure everything is up to code, don't want to cause a great fire here now, do we?"

"N... no..." the woman said, a little bit confused by what was happening.

"May I come in and inspect your hearth? Won't be too long."

"Of course not," and before the old lady could say anything more the Doctor was already inside, scanning every nook and cranny.

"What a lovely place you have here," she said, examining one of the cupboards. "Do you live by yourself?"

"I'm looking after it while a friend is out."

"Oh that's very nice of you. Love thy neighbour and all that. Whatever you're cooking smells wonderful by the way."

"Thanks. Would you like some?"

"Can't, I'm afraid. Might be taken as a bribe. Tell me, Sister..."

"Sister Minnie."

"Like the mouse? Sorry, not appropriate. Tell me Sister Minnie, have you noticed anything unusual recently? Anything odd, people or things going missing, that sort of thing?"

"Not to my knowledge?"

"Really? So everything is perfectly normal as far as you can tell?"

"Things have stayed the same, yes."

"That's unfortunate," the Doctor said, holding out her sonic screwdriver. "Because that's going to make it even harder for you to explain this."

Pointing at the table she pressed the button, the screwdriver whirring into action. There was a shimmer in the air, before a strange, clearly not from this time period device appeared on the table.

"Witchcraft!" the nun cried.

"Oh drop the act," the Doctor said. "There's no way you couldn't have noticed that most of the table was occupied by a very large time field generator, even if it was invisible. A poor cloak, I might add, you could see the shimmers from miles away. That and you kept looking at the table, which helped greatly."

"I take it your not a fireplace inspector," said the nun, her character changing, the fear being replaced with a hard steel.

"And I take it you're not just a nun," the Doctor replied, all focus on the device in front of her.

"Of course not," the nun said. "But then again, I could hardly go around calling myself a monk now, could I?"

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"Ryan, how are you here? Why are you here? What's going on?"

Ryan looked at his grandfather, wondering how to sum up decades of life into a simple explanation.

"When you didn't come back for me the Brigadier let me join UNIT. Looked after me, helped me rise through the ranks. I wasn't suppose to be on this mission, but, well, I haven't seen you in so long."

"But you're so... old," said Graham uselessly.

"Yeah, now I know why you're constantly whinging. I never realize being old was so much work."

"Watch it you. You may be as old as me but I'm still your grandfather. But this is unbelievable. I never thought I'd see you get this age. Oh if only Grace or your father could see you."

"Yeah I saw them," said Ryan. "Didn't interact with them, I was warned against damaging the timeline, but I got to see them from afar. It was weird, seeing them, seeing me like that. I was on the hill, you know? The one where I learned to ride a bike. Watching myself go through that..."

Ryan said nothing, looking off into the distance.

"I wanted to save her, you know," he said. "So many times. But I knew that doing so would cause a paradox. The scientists at UNIT made sure to teach me what those were. But it was still hard, you know? Knowing what was going to happen and being unable to do anything about it. I think I get how the Doctor must feel, all the time."

"Well I'm glad to see you," said Graham. "If only the Doctor was here."

"I saw her, briefly. Well, another version of her. It's hard to explain. But thanks to her I met my wife."

"Your wife?" Graham said, flabbergasted.

"Yeah, I met her at UNIT. Got married, settle down, had kids, grand-kids. Here."

Ryan pulled out his phone to show Graham his latest grandchild. Graham looked at the little girl in his grandson's hand, hardly believing what he was seeing.

"She was born a few months ago," Ryan said. "Our fifth grand-kid. Which would make you her, what, great-great-granddad?"  
"Something like that," said Graham. "Blimey, if that don't make me feel old." He smiled, but Ryan's face had already fallen.

"I wish you were there for it," said Ryan. "I wish you were there for all of it."  
"Ryan," said Graham, putting his hand on his grandson's shoulder. "I'm happy that you got to live your life, that you got married, settled down. All I want is for you to be happy."

"But I missed you."

"I know you did. But I'm not going to be around forever. I don't want you to waste your life having to look after me, taking care of me. Its your life to live, and I'm glad you got to live it."

Ryan was about to say something, but then stopped, clutching his head in pain. Graham grabbed him, lowering him gently to the ground.

"What's wrong son?" he asked, feeling slightly foolish saying that to a man that wasn't that much younger than him.

"My past, it's in flux," Ryan replied, trying to focus. "It hasn't solidified yet, anything is still possible, and..."

"Yes?"

"The TARDIS!"

"Yeah it's where the Doctor left it."

"No, not that TARDIS, Nelson's Column. It's a TARDIS!"

Graham didn't know how to react with that, but soon found him taking off after Ryan as he bolted. He was aware of others calling out to him, but he didn't stop, knowing what he had to do.

"Who is that man?" Kate asked to Graham, as he tried to get past her.

"It's Ryan," Graham replied. "He never left the past, and so grew up and joined UNIT."

"I don't remember assigning him to this detail," Kate said suspiciously. "Or him even existing at all."

"That's because time is currently in flux in this area," Osgood replied, joining the two. "Right now we're in a realm of possibilities, where cause and effect aren't casually linked. We won't know what happened and what hasn't happened until these holes are removed and time solidifies."

"So are you saying Ryan doesn't get stuck in the past?" asked Graham, thoroughly lost.

"At the moment there is the possibility that he does, a possibility that he doesn't. But it won't matter if the entire Earth gets swallowed."

"He said something about a TARDIS," began Graham.

"He said TARDIS?" Kate said, interrupting him.

"Yeah, Nelson Column is one or something."

"Come on," said Kate to Osgood, dashing after Ryan. Benton, who had come over to just miss the conversation by mere moments, looked at Graham in confusion. Graham merely shrugged as a response and took off, Benton deciding to follow suit.

They all caught up to Ryan carefully studying the column, before finding the crack that he needed. He pressed his hand to it, the door sliding open to reveal the impossibly large room within.

"This is extraordinary," said Kate, following Ryan inside. "Is this the Doctor's TARDIS?"

"I doubt it," said Osgood. "This must belong to another Time Lord."

"Missy?"

"Unlikely, her model was newer than this."

"What are you doing Ryan?" asked Graham, as Ryan went over to the controls.

"I know what to do," he said.

"How?" asked Benton.

"Because I've already done it."

"And what are you doing?" asked Graham.

"I don't know..." admitted Ryan. "But here goes." Suddenly there was a flash of light that filled the entire room, blinding them all.

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"You better go fetch some equipment," the Brigadier said to the military man, who nodded and took off.

"This is so weird," said Ryan, walking around the controls. Something in the back of his head was itching away, as if he was suppose to do something. Nervously he started to tapping away at some of the controls.

"Are you sure you should be doing that," said the Brigadier.

"No it's okay," said Ryan. "I feel like I've done this before."

"Have you?"

"No... but it feels like I'm going to have to have done this before."

"I suppose you realize that makes no sense-" began the Brigadier, before he was cut off by a sudden flash of light that filled the entire room, blinding both of them.

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"I must say, I am impressed," the Doctor said, looking the nun up and down. "How did you survive the Time War?"

"One of the Children protected me," the nun replied, deciding to take a seat at the table. Cautiously the Doctor sat down opposite. "Got me away from the war before the lock solidified. A thank you, I suppose, for what I did for them."

"Which child?"

"Oh my dear Doctor, I'm not going to reveal all my secrets now, am I? Suffice it to say that I've been spending a rather pleasant time enjoying what Earth of this time period has to offer."

"Not a lot, I suspect. Let me guess, you've been meddling?"

"My dear Doctor, you offend me. As if I was going to risk drawing any attention to myself while the universe still had Daleks roaming around."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow and nodded to the technology lying on the table in front of them.

"Yes, well... Would you believe it fell off an intergalactic lorry?"

"This is Time Lord tech. More importantly, it's Time War tech. Created to help focus the energy of the Timeless Child. How did you get your hands on it?"

"It was a parting gift?"

"Mortimus-"

"Minnie, if you don't mind. I always found 'Mortimus' a bit too formal, a bit too stuffy."

"Minnie, you and I are both Time Lords, we more than anyone else know the dangers of this technology. Right now the entire planet is going to be sucked into a time hole."

"Yes, that is most unfortunate," the nun admitted. "And believe me, if there was any way I could stop it, I would. But, well..."

The Doctor said nothing, staring down her foe.

"Okay, if you must know," said the nun, cracking like a communal wafer. "I happened to acquire one shortly before I was spirited away from the war. I've been tinkering with it a bit, trying to use it as a way of getting my TARDIS back to me. I didn't meant to set it off though! I've grown rather fond of this planet, like you have."

"Well you've still made a mess of things with your meddling," the Doctor said. "I'm not sure how long we have left."

"Oh spare me your moralizing," said the nun dismissively. "You're just as much of a meddler as I."

"That's not true-" began the Doctor.

"Really? Because I've been reading the history of this planet, and you certainly turn up a fair bit. Oh sure, you try to hide it, but your fingerprints are all over the history of this place."

"Yes, but I meddle to help other people. You only do it for profit."

"Oh, I see, that's how you justify it? You know how the Time Lords feel about interfering with lesser species. Now I'll admit, I've done a few bad things, but I've not implanted myself in the fabric of time like you have."

The Doctor stood up angrily, turning her back to the nun and staring out the window into the pitifully small town. Its entire history, nothing but a beat of the heart for the two aliens sitting in the simple house.

"I'm not like that any more though. I've changed. I've stepped back, tried not to interfere as much, tried not to make a splash."

"Oh, out of a sense of moral obligation? Don't make me laugh. You can't help but meddle. Tell me, what's the real reason you stopped?"

The Doctor said nothing, biting her lip, wondering whether she should mention that the Timeless Child was still out there. No, there were bigger things to worry about.

"How exactly were you planning to get your TARDIS back?

"Well I was going to use the time field as a way of jumping forward in time till I found it. I made sure to program my TARDIS to land in this exact area... I just wasn't quite sure when..."

"How are you suppose to recognize it if you do find the right time period?"

"Oh I made it super obvious, something that you'd see from miles off, but never actually give two thoughts about despite how amazing it is."

"It wouldn't be, and I'm just spit-balling here, Nelson's Column from Trafalgar's Square?"

"Actually now that you would mention it that'd be the perfect camouflage. Why do you bring it up?"

"Oh just a logical deduction," said the Doctor casually. "Putting together bits and pieces of evidence and, oh, it's currently landing outside in the middle of the town!"

She pointed out the window, with the nun quickly running up to have a look out the window as well.

"Huh," she said. "Will you look at that. Looks like everything is coming up Minnie."

"That's nice, but you seem to be missing one thing in particular."

"Oh?"

"There's two TARDIS' trying to land in the exact same place and time."

"What? No. No I set it up specifically so that the subliminal messaging implanted in the TARDIS telepathic circuits would only affect one person, probably the first person that went inside."

"And what happened if the same person happened to be the first person to enter your TARDIS in two different time periods?"

"Oh don't be absurd. That'd only happen if someone happened to be sent into the past but lived long enough to reach the point where they first disappeared. But what are the chances of that exact scenario happening?"

"Ryan," said the Doctor, breaking out in a smile. "He must be alive... though not for long."

"Doctor, you worry too much. My TARDIS will land, I will leave this planet, and the time field will eventually deactivate itself... or swallow the planet, either option works."

"But, hypothetically speaking of course, lets say that a time ram between two ships happened to happen on top of a time mine generator?"

"Oh then the entire universe would no doubt be ripped asunder and there'd be no escape. But the local vicinity would no doubt be hit by a violent time storm long before that happened."

As if on cue the door blew open, wind flying into the room and instantly ageing the fruit into mush. The Time Lords were mostly unharmed, a few days being nothing to him, but it was clearly just the start.

"I think you might be onto something Doctor," the nun said sheepishly, as the Doctor started to make her way outside.

"Do you have any idea what to do?" the Doctor replied, shouting over the gale force winds that were wrecking having on the city.

"Why would I know what to do? You always did better than me in the academy."

"Then I think we're in serious trouble," the Doctor said. "Because if we can't stop that time ram, kiss this universe goodbye!"


	26. UNIT: Timefield - Episode Five

Doctor Who

UNIT: Timefield

Episode Five

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Inside the TARDIS things were getting quite unstable. Osgood couldn't help but shriek in shock when two ghostly figures seemed to suddenly appear in the console room. One moment they weren't there, next moment they faded in like some cheap special effect.

"Ryan?" Graham asked, as the shadow of a person ignored him.

"Brigadier?" said Benton, walking over to the man, only to find his hand go right through him. The Brigadier turned anyway, jumping in shock at what was in front of him. He said something, but they couldn't hear his words.

"Dad?" said Kate, as the ghost looked at her in confusion. Again, it said something, but they couldn't seem to be able to hear them.

Ryan ignored all of this, running around the console, his other self doing the same. Like a man possessed he pressed switches and pulled levers, determined to fulfil the orders currently echoing in his mind.

"What's going on?" Kate asked Osgood, who pulled herself together to focus on what was going on.

"I think they're trying to land," ventured Osgood, hoping Kate didn't ask her to back up her wild guess with any actual science or reasoning.

"But aren't we trying to land?" asked Benton.

"I can see how that could be become problematic," Kate said. "We need to get Ryan to stop then."

"Which one?" asked Graham. He went out to touch the older Ryan, the one who had re-introduced himself only moments ago, only to find his arm go through him.

"Wait a moment," he said in confusion, before realizing that he could put his hands through his own chest.

"What are we going to do ma'am?" Benton asked.

"I don't know," admitted Kate. "The Doctor is the only one that could save us now."

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The Doctor and the nun, two renegade Time Lords, stood their ground as the wind whipped all around them, the grass growing at a highly accelerated rate.

"I guess this is it then," the nun said. "Never thought I'd go this way to be honest. Always presumed it'd be a paradox that did me in."

"What did you say?" the Doctor said, her face breaking into a smile.

"I presumed a paradox would finish me off? I mean I am a bit of a meddler, eventually it was bound to catch up to me."

"Minnie that's it!" the Doctor said excitedly, looking around.

"What's it?"

"A paradox! If we create a paradox we can stop this from ever happening!"

"But won't a paradox cause just as much damage as the time ram you fo-" the nun trailed off, getting the Doctor's plan. "You know, that might just work."

"Exactly. Although one of us is going to need to travel through the time fields while the other stabilizes the landing."

"I'm sorry, did you say stabilizing the landing?" said the nun, hoping that the ferocious winds that were threatening to drown them both out were somehow causing the exact wrong words to appear.

"Someone needs to go into the eye of the storm and make sure that the damage is minimalized."

"But you'll be right in the centre if the whole thing goes belly up!"

"And standing out here I'll still be kicked by the feet of your colossal screw-up. At least in there it'll be quick."

The nun said nothing, realizing that the Doctor had a point, and had also rather generously volunteered for this suicidal mission by not raising any objection to the personal pronoun the nun used.

"Fine then," the nun said. "Do you know which time mine he activated."

"No idea."

"I guess I'll just have to try them all."

"Good luck," the Doctor said, and started to make her way forward towards the centre of the storm. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the nun pull out a vortex manipulator, punching in a few codes and jumping away.

The Doctor started to walk forwards, pushing through the grass that was quickly coming up to her waist, dodging any debris that happened to be flying right at her. Bits of wood and stone were being picked up by the storm, tossing them about and decaying them to dust.

It was hard going, even for her. She could feel the days piling on with every step, as she got closer and closer to the epicentre. Her hair grew long, quickly passing by her shoulders and heading towards her waist. Her coat was almost horizontal behind her like some superhero cape, her clothes quickly becoming tatty and ruined. Even her sonic screwdriver was starting to rust slightly as she held it out, using it to create an anchor point.

And then... calmness. Nothing more than a white control room, with a traditional central console, and a collection of familiar faces around her. Part of her was happy that her hunch was right and that it was Ryan who had been the same person split into two time zones. Hopefully Minnie was smart enough to figure that out.

Not that it mattered at the moment. Both versions of her friend were currently ignoring everything them in order to get the TARDIS landed. She was briefly aware that ghostly versions of her friends were looking at her in shock and bafflement, but there was no time to explain temporal mechanics.

She immediately got to work on the console, trying desperately to undo everything that Ryan and Ryan were doing.

It was a hard fight every step of the way. The two of them clearly resented what she was trying to do, almost working together to thwart her. It didn't help that she was trying to work on two unconnected consoles at the same time as they both phased in and out of existence, and that her wins meant that the TARDIS consoles were getting harder to physically touch.

"Come on Minnie," she said, as the room lurched violently. "It's up to you now."

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"Are you Ryan?" a strange woman asked him, dressed up in nun gear.

"Yeah?" said Ryan in confusion, as he glanced at the Brigadier.

"Thank goodness," she said. "Right, come with me."

"Who are you?" the Brigadier asked. "And why should we trust you."

"I know the Doctor," the nun said. "She sent me to save you and take you back to your own time."

"I'm not sure about this," began Ryan.

"Oh sod this," said the nun, grabbing Ryan's arm before disappearing away. The Brigadier just looked on in disbelief.

Ryan looked around, finding himself in some pre-medieval town, as a storm spun around them.

"Where are we?" he yelled over the howling wind.

"Exactly where you were a moment ago," the nun yelled back. "Just a few hundred years in the past."

"Is that Nelson's Column?"

"Yeah things have certainly gone a bit haywire," the nun admitted. "Though if the Doctor is right, everything should sort itself out."

"Really?"

"Well, I mean on the bright side, we won't be around to notice if it doesn't."

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Graham leapt back in shock as Ryan disappeared. Both of them, in fact. The young man seemed to just pop out of existence, followed closely by his older version.

"Now that's gone and done it," the Doctor said, her companions suddenly shocked that they could hear her. They didn't have much time to process this information, however, as the console room suddenly violently tilted, throwing them all to the ground.

"Almost stabilized," the Doctor said, before looking up and seeing another version of herself working at the controls.

"Oh this isn't going to be pretty," the Doctor said, as she braced for impact.

"I agree," said the Doctor, bracing for impact as well. "Which one of us do you think it is?"

"Well we're about to find out."

The room threatened to shake itself apart as there was the sound of a tremendous tear, before everything whited out.

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"Right, off we go," the nun said, striding over to Nelson's Column. Ryan followed, not really knowing what else to do. For some reason everything about what was happening seemed familiar, as if it was a case of deja vu.

As such, he wasn't surprised when a door appeared in the column, revealing it to be a TARDIS. What did shock him, however, was seeing both the Brigadier and his grandfather, along with two other women. He was relieved, however, when the Doctor popped up from behind the console.

"Ryan!" she said happily, her blond hair swishing around her waist. "I must admit Minnie, I didn't expect you to actually get it right."

"Do you know how hard it was to find him?" said Minnie. "I had to visit every time pocket, and let me tell you some people were not happy to see me. Especially when the whole city appeared to be on fire."

"Yeah sorry about that," the Doctor replied sheepishly.

"This is all very nice and all," said Graham. "But could someone please tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Everyone, meet the Meddling Nun, fellow Time Lady... thought meddling just doesn't work as well without 'monk', does it? Need to come up with a new name."

"Wait," asked Ryan. "Is she, you know..."

"From the same planet as me? Yeah, we were in academy together."

"I thought you said that all the Time Lords died Doctor?" said Kate in confusion.

"Yeah haven't quite worked out what's going on myself," admitted the Doctor.

"If we focus on the here and now please Doctor," the Brigadier said. "Also I see you've changed again."

"Yeah, I'm a woman now," the Doctor said nonchalantly. "Anyway, Minnie here- Oh, I got it, 'the Meddling Minnie'! Yeah that works."

"Doctor," said almost everyone.

"Right, an explanation," the Doctor said, secretly enjoying this part of the adventure. "So, the Meddling Minnie here need to access her TARDIS, and planned to travel through the time field using her Vortex Manipulator to figure out where it was and take off in it. Which is sort of like blowing up your garden to save having to dig out a pool, but that's neither here nor there. But, unfortunately for her, a second back-up plan kicked in, where the first person who entered the TARDIS was given commands by the telepathic circuit to return the TARDIS to this time period."

"So that's where Ryan comes in I presume," said Kate.

"Exactly. He was the first into the TARDIS, and thus he was the one piloting it back... but Minnie here didn't account for the same person being in two time periods, and thus the same person tried to land two TARDIS ships in the same place at the same time, while a time field was also in place. Suffice it to say the entire universe would have been ripped asunder."

"So why aren't we all dead?" Osgood asked. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

"Well when I grabbed young Ryan here, the paradox created due to the time field caused a huge influx of negative time energy, which in turn cancelled out the time ram. Then all the Doctor had to do was to land one TARDIS and put the other one back where it came from."

"What, at the same time?" Graham asked in confusion.

"Well I did split in two to achieve it," the Doctor said. "Don't worry, the other me faded away as soon as it happened... at least I hope she did, would be real awkward otherwise."

"I still don't know what's going on," admitted Ryan.

"Suffice it to say that the paradox screwed up earth's timeline a little," the Doctor said sheepishly. "Probably why I can never seem to land here in the right time, the entire vortex gets a bit wibbly whenever the TARDIS gets near it."

"Or you're just a bad driver," ventured Graham.

"Oi! I am better than I use to be, you know. I mean I had these two teachers and I couldn't get them back home for the life of me-"

"Can we go home?" the Brigadier asked wearily. All this time travel talk was giving him a headache.

"Certainly," the Doctor said. "Minnie, would you like to help?"

"I'd be delighted." With that the two of them stood round the console, a familiar wheezing noise filling the air.

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"London," the Doctor said, as the doors opened. "Somewhere in the 70s or 80s, like I said, time's got a little bit fuzzy."

"So our time period?" the Brigadier asked.

"Near enough that it makes no difference," said the nun. "We can't stay long I'm afraid."

"In that case," said Kate, walking over to the Brigadier. She tried to remain composed, but her heart was a bit heavy.

"Hello sir," she said, holding out her hand.

"Why hello miss..."

"Kate, sir."

"Kate? Huh, that's funny, that's the name my wife wants to give our child."

"I know sir."

The Brigadier paused, looking at the woman in front of him. He hadn't become in charge of UNIT without learning to pick up a few things.

"Good grief," he said. "Are you my..."

"Yes Dad," Kate replied, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Well now I've seen everything," he said, pulling Kate into a hug. Kate couldn't help but burst into tears as she hugged her father, a man who was almost the same age as her at this point, but still the man she loved. The Brigadier held her tightly, knowing full well why his future daughter was crying so much. Still, best not to pry too much.

"Running of time I'm afraid," the nun said. Kate let go of her father and stood back, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I guess I'll be seeing you," the Brigadier said with a smile, giddy at the thought of him becoming a father someday.

"Well, goodbye Doctor," said Benton, shaking the Doctor's hand. "I must say, seeing you again has certainly been an adventure."

"Goodbye Benton. Say hi to me from me, won't you?"

"Of course ma'am." He smiled and walked out the doors. The Brigadier was about to follow when he was stopped.

"Alistair," said the Doctor. The Brigadier turned, his face breaking out into a smile when he saw the Doctor saluting him. He saluted back, pride welling up in his heart, before he too left.

Outside the Brigadier turned to see Nelson Column seemingly disappear, only to reveal another one underneath it. The Brigadier let out a sigh of relief, knowing the nightmare that'd have been filling out the paperwork for a missing monument.

"Sir?" said Sergeant Benton.

"What is it Benton?"

"What are we doing here?"

"We're-" began the Brigadier, before stopping. What were they doing there? It felt like they were responding, but to what? For the life of him he couldn't remember what had called them out here, even though he seemed to have a warm, contented feeling in his heart.

"We're patrolling London," he said, to save face. "Training the troops to recognize the city in case of another alien invasion."

"Of course sir," said Benton, relived that there was some explanation. "I'll get on it right away."

The Brigadier watched his man go, still uncertain what exactly they were doing there. Still, he knew one thing. He really had to write a letter to Geneva explaining how important UNIT was.

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"He's not going to remember that, is he?" Kate asked.

"I'm afraid not," the Doctor admitted. "Since none of this ever happened, its going to fade out his mind. He'll remember the feelings though."

"That's something at least," Kate said. "Are we going to remember this?"

"Probably not," admitted the Doctor.

"That's a shame," said Osgood. "I was interested in figuring out where you got your earrings."

"That reminds me," the Doctor said. "When I called last New Year's the woman said UNIT was shutdown, and yet here you all are. What is with that?"

"Oh that?" said Kate. "We set that up as a smokescreen, to stop the politicians from meddling in affairs too much. As far as they're concerned UNIT is shut down on paper at least, though the funding for the military did get raised in the last election. We've been trying to get you the new number to avoid that."

"So UNIT isn't really gone?"

"As if UNIT could ever disappear," snorted Osgood. "What a stupid idea. No offence ma'am."

"None taken," the Doctor said. "I'm just glad I can always rely on UNIT in my time of need."

"And that we can rely on you," said Kate. "Goodbye, Doctor. I look forward to our next meeting." And with that the two women left, leaving just four behind.

"I'm going to shunt us forward a few hours," the nun said. "Just to give them time to leave. Don't want to make life more confusing for ourselves."

"Will we remember this adventure?" Graham asked.

"No, I don't think so," the Doctor said. "Right now we only remember due to being in the heart of the paradox, so to speak. Once we leave, since none of this ever happened, we're not going to remember it at all."

"That's probably for the best," said Ryan. "I have... memories, I don't think I should have. Of growing into an old man, working for UNIT. I can't tell what really happened and what hasn't."

"So in that case," Graham asked. "Since we're all going to forget anyway... What is your name Doctor?"

"You can ask me any question and you choose that?" the Doctor said. "I mean it's Jeff, isn't it."

"Really?" said Ryan and Graham in shock.

"Yeah. Not the best name, I will admit. Never been fond of it."

"Well will you fancy that," chuckled Graham, before the two of them left.

"Very funny Doctor," said the nun.

"Eh, what they don't know won't hurt them," the Doctor replied. "But before I leave, there are a few things I would like to know."

"Well since you did give me back my TARDIS," said the nun.

"The Children of Gallifrey. Do you know what happened to them?"

"They died in the war I suppose. And yet you seemingly survived. How is that possible."

"It'll take too long to explain, but... well, you know how I said I was keeping a low profile? Early in this regeneration, I was told about the Timeless Child and... I think its alive. It may be hunting me down."

"You sure? We both know what it could do if it wanted to."

"I think it got into my TARDIS. I've been trying to find traces of it, to see if I'm being paranoid, but so far..."

"Well if the Timeless Child is after you count me out. I ain't messing with them again. I was lucky to get away the first time."

"But what if it isn't just the Timeless Child? What if they all escaped?"

The nun paused briefly, considering the ramifications.

"Then I think the universe is in for a rather rough time," she admitted. "And I'd certainly hate to be you. Good luck Doctor. You're going to need it."

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"What are we doing in Trafalgar Square?" Ryan asked. "And what happened to your hair Doctor?"

"Hmm?" the Doctor said, realizing just how long her hair had gotten. "You know, I honestly don't know. Might have been a side-effect of messing about with the TARDIS. Good thing we landed when we did, it could cause all sorts of issues."

"So what do we do now?" Graham asked.

"Go and enjoy London I suppose," the Doctor replied, digging around in her pockets and pulling out two credit cards. "Here you go, they should have a couple of million on them."

"A couple of million dollars?" Ryan said in shock.

"Probably. Opened the first ever account in the bank of England, interest must be pretty high up at this point. Anyway, go out, enjoy yourself, have fun. I'll call when I'm done."

Graham and Ryan looked at each other and shrugged. They might as well go make a day of it. As the two men left, the Doctor entered her TARDIS, frowning with worry. Something had happened, some sort of adventure, and she had no memory of it. That probably involved time travel of some sort, maybe even a paradox. But if a paradox did happen, and the universe seemed fine...

As she lay under the console, fiddling away at the wires, a dark thought crossed her mind. There was only one being powerful enough to resolve such an issue. If so, then no where in the universe was safe from its wrath. No point in time either. And sooner or later, it was going to catch up the Doctor, and have its long desired revenge. The question was... when?


	27. Catalyst - Episode One

The wave of time distortion spread across the universe, smothering everything in its path like a tank smothering a daisy. Civilizations disappeared, replaced by ruin. What was once lost was now won, what was once alive was now dead, as the decay of time oozed out like an infection. The reapers circled, attempting to cauterize the wound, but the universe was bleeding too badly to be stopped. There was only one force in the universe capable of stopping this. But to call upon that would mean the death of the universe itself.

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Doctor Who

Catalyst

Episode One

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"Where are we Doc?" Graham asked, as the three of them left the TARDIS to find themselves in a somewhat standard high street. If it wasn't for the strange fashion and odd bits of technology here and there he'd have sworn he was in his own time.

Well, aside from the lizard people walking around, that was a little bit of a giveaway.

"We're on Hillscarian," the Doctor said, as she closed the TARDIS. "Wonderful little planet, a perfect harmony between the local Arash and humans, working as one."

"That must be nice," Ryan said.

"Oh getting to that point involved a brutal revolution," the Doctor countered sadly. "Thousands died, years of unstable governments, widespread rioting and looting. Terrible time. I always wondered if there was another way."

"Well, it's not going to involve us now, is it Doctor?" asked Graham.

"No, course not, should be ancient history," the Doctor said. "Anyway, I know this place down the road that serves the best flied omelette you've ever had in your life, come on."

"Did she say 'flied' or 'fried'?" Graham asked, as he and his grandson followed the Doctor. Still, after everything that happened, a holiday was the best thing they needed.

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"I told you it'd be good, didn't I?" the Doctor said, as they continue to lick their roach-flavoured ice cream.

"Okay, okay, you were right," Ryan chuckled, as he stuck with traditional vanilla.

"You do have some weird tastes Doc," said Graham, determined to beat his goody gumdrops before it defeated him.

"Yeah, well, you're welcome alright," the Doctor said, as she turned a corner, before suddenly pausing. Her ice cream slipped from her hand, splattering all over her shoes.

"What is it?" Ryan asked, as he looked around in terror.

"We can't be here," the Doctor said.

"Why not?" Graham countered, before he turned to see what the Doctor was staring at.

In the middle of the street there was a young boy, probably no older than ten, though that was Graham's best guess at the lizard's age. Surrounding him where a group of cops, all carrying bludgeons that crackled with electricity.

"Stealing, are we?" sneered one of the men, bring his club down and swiping a brutal blow across the boy's head, sending him crashing to the floor.

"Hold up-" said Graham, trying to move forward, only to be held back by the Doctor.

"No," she hissed.

"But-" began Ryan.

"This is a fixed point in time," the Doctor said, as another blow smacked the child's arm. "This is what causes the revolution that leads to the peace. His death is the catalyst."

"So we're just suppose to stand here and let it happen?" Ryan replied angrily.

"It's thanks to bystanders that this happens. That woman over there is recording the whole thing. She posts the video online, and the swell of support for the boy's death leads to positive social change in time."

"But this boy is going to die."

"I know Graham, but we can't interfere. Just... turn around."

"But-"

"I know, I know, but we have to. It's for the greater good. Just..." The Doctor turned her friends around, slowly pushing them away from the horror happening just a few feet behind them. Every step they took was punctured by one of the boy's screams of anguish, every breath echoed by a boy desperately breathing his last.

"I know Ryan," Graham said, holding onto his grandson as they slowly carried him away, trying to hold back his own tears. "But the Doctor said it's for the best. We have to trust her, don't we? Isn't that right Doc."

He turned back to see her, only to see that she hadn't moved. Her back was still to the violence, but her fists were clenched, her entire body shaking with rage.

"Come on Doc," Graham said weakly, but he'd be around the block long enough to know what was about to happen.

"No more," cried the boy, spitting purple blood through his teeth. "Please, no more."

"Oh shut up you little toad," sneered the cop, ready to bring his baton down for a final blow, to stop this child from talking back.

"I think not," said a woman, grabbing the bludgeon out of his up-raised hand and throwing it away. Quickly she stepped in front of him and the other cops, standing defiant.

"Who the hell do you think you are," sneered the lead cop, slapping the Doctor across the face thanks to her defiance. The Doctor paused, momentarily, to gather herself.

"At the moment I'm someone trying very, very, very hard," she said quietly.

"To do what," said the cop, spitting at her feet.

"To be the Doctor," she continued, still not looking at the man. The cop rolled his eyes, taking back his bludgeon from a colleague that had picked it up for him. He raised it back up, swinging it down with a tremendous blow at the Doctor's head.

The Doctor caught it in her hand, her palm crackling blue as the electricity coursed throughout it. Nevertheless she held firm, even as the cop tried to push it down. Nor could he pull it away. The Doctor finally turned to look at him, and for a moment the cop saw eyes that had seen things he could have only ever dared nightmared, and they paled in comparison to what was about to him.

"How dare you," the Doctor said, letting the bludgeon drop to the floor. "You're suppose to be protecting the public, not destroying them."

"We don't protect filth like that," said one of the cops, bludgeon held aloft. The Doctor glared at him, then pressed a button on her sonic. Suddenly the electricity shot from the baton and surrounded the cops, forcing them to their knees as the pain shot throughout their body, unable to let go the instrument that had been turned upon them.

"You think you're all big and tough because you have uniforms and guns and badges," the Doctor said, addressing the lead cop. "But really you're a bunch of scaredy cats, hiding behind authority in order to bully those who can't protect themselves. Well it ends here. No more."

"What are you going to do about it?" the cop said, all pretence of bravado gone, as well as the contents of his bladder.

"I'm the Doctor. I have lived a very long time, and taken down empires far bigger than this. You are but a speck of dust in my eye, one I could easily blow away, never to be seen again. So I suggest you and your friends go away and have a little think about what you're doing, or else. Because one day I'll be back, and if you're still here..."

She took another step forward. The cop spun and ran down the street, the other men quickly following when they felt the bludgeon fall from their grasp.

Around the Doctor there were cheers and celebration. She looked down at the boy, looking back up to her with puffy, bloodstained eyes. She smiled at him, but quickly turned away, her face ashen.

"Come on," she said to Graham and Ryan, practically carrying the two of them away from the growing crowd.

"But-" began one man, but the Doctor quickly shushed him. Within a matter of moments they were back in the TARDIS, the Doctor's hands shaking as she turned the key in the lock.

"Where are we going?" Ryan asked.

"Just a week into the future," the Doctor said. "Just so no one sees us take off. Last thing we want is a religion forming around me again."

"Or me," said Graham, trying and failing to lighten the mood. Suddenly the TARDIS lurched a sickening angle, both men being knocked off their feet.

"No no no," cried the Doctor, as she hung on. She kicked a lever with one foot while twisting a wheel with another. Sparks rained down from the ceiling as the TARDIS violently rocked back and forth, before finally crashing to the ground.

The Doctor's two companions slowly got up, handing onto the nearby crystals for support.

"I'm a bit too old to be put through the washing Doc," Graham said, stretching his back.

"What happened?" Ryan asked.

"We were hit by the time distortion wave," the Doctor replied. "Fixed point in time, already had massive ripple effects, it ended up pushing us further into the future than I wanted.

"How much further?"

"About a hundred years."

"After the revolution and violence and all that?" Graham asked.

"In theory, yes. Out those doors should be a utopia of racial harmony."

"Well lets go find out," said Ryan, moving to them before the Doctor had a chance to react. He almost immediately collided with a statue standing out front of the TARDIS.

"To our nation's greatest hero?" he read, looking up and becoming only more befuddled when he realized it was a statue of the Doctor. "For helping to stop the Arash menace from taking over Hillscarian?"

"Doc, what's going on?" asked Graham, as he followed Ryan out.

"I don't know," said the Doctor solemnly. "But thanks to you two this is now a fixed point in time. So no matter what happens, there's no changing it at this point."

"Oh my god," said a strange voice. The three of them looked over to see a woman rushing over to them.

"Oh my god it's you, it's really you," the woman said. "Can I get a picture."

"Sure," the Doctor said, but she was already moving away.

"I don't believe it," said a man, running over to the Doctor. "As I live and breathe. Pleasure to meet you."

"Yeah, sure," the Doctor replied, shaking the hand, trying to move away.

"It's unbelievable," said a third person.

"It's a miracle," said a fourth.

"Please shake my hand," said a fifth.

"Yes, thank you," said the Doctor, looking around only to find herself surrounded by humans. Graham and Ryan were nowhere to be seen, instead a throbbing mass of bodies crowded ever closer to her. The Doctor tried to push them away, but it was like trying to move a mountain.

"If you could just," the Doctor said, but it was no use, the wall of bodies getting closer, smothering her. Desperately she crawled up for air, as she felt herself being dragged to the floor, the horde over her. The last thing she saw before darkness enveloped her were humans threatening to suffocate her to death. She screamed, but no one could hear it over the cheers. The pressure... it was about to destroy them all.


	28. Catalyst - Episode Two

Doctor Who

Catalyst

Episode Two

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The shot rang out across the park, causing the public to scatter like leaves blasted by a leaf-blower. The Doctor tried to get up, but felt her whole body shaking, a tremor that overtook her entire being.

"You okay Doc?" Graham asked, rushing over to help his friend. Together with Ryan they pulled her to her feet, though she seemed unable to stand.

"I can feel this being wrong," the Doctor hissed between her teeth. "It's as if the world is on fire, or there's a screaming in my head. Time is wrong, and I can feel it."

"What can we do?" asked Ryan.

"Oh my word," said the man who had fired the fateful shot. The three of them looked up to see a soldier wearing a uniform whose colours somewhat matched what the Doctor was wearing, at least in the broad-strokes.

"We always knew you would return," the cop said, holstering his gun and eagerly stepping forward to grab the Doctor's hand. "But I never thought I'd live to see it."

As she shook the Doctor's hand she grimaced in pain. The cop let go, concerned.

"Allergies," Ryan said quickly. "From the plants. Making her feel unwell."

"Then you must come with us," the cop said urgently. "We can take you to the finest hospitals."

"No, it's okay," said Graham. "We'll just look after her, don't you worry."

"Nonsense," the cop said, slowly trying to nudge Graham and Ryan away. "Our glorious leader will want to meet the Doctor."

"Really, it's fine," Ryan said, but he couldn't help but notice that the other cops were starting to draw their weapons.

Suddenly the Doctor convulsed a little, before shaking off all three men. She stood up straight, wide smiled and excited.

"Sorry about that," she said in what sounded like her normal tone of speaking. "Allergies, as Ryan said. All better now. So, you want to take me to your leader, do you? That's great, that normally never goes so well."

"Doctor," began Graham.

"Oh, yes, you two," the Doctor said, still wide eyes and wider smile. "My fam. Come here you two." She swept the two of them into a massive hug, her back to the cops.

"Find out what happened in the last hundred years," she whispered. "I'll meet you here later."

She let go of the hug and slapped them both on the shoulders, before spinning round again.

"Anyway, shall we get going?" the Doctor asked. "Can't wait to meet your leader. Just one small question though... will there be any tea?"

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"Doctor," said the supreme leader, bowing to her new arrival. Around her all the guards followed suit, getting onto one knee, heads lowered. "I can't begin to explain how happy we are to see you."

"Don't bother then," the Doctor said absent-mindedly, taking in the room. It was somewhat surreal to see thirty-seven versions of herself staring back at her in portrait form. She briefly wondered what the old pinstripe version of herself would have done if he had got this much attention.

She shook her head and focused on the now. Her psychic wall was holding, ancient Gallifreyan defences taught to her in the first few months of the academy. Behind it was all the temporal pain, crashing against it like the hordes of Genghis Khan. Why was she thinking that all of a sudden?

"Please, sit, sit," the supreme leader said, pointing to a most plush chair. The Doctor sat in it, waiting several seconds for the cushion underneath her to finally stop sinking.

"Can I get you anything?" the supreme leader grovelled.

"Just a nice cup of tea," the Doctor said, still not looking at the leader. It was bizarre to see someone trying to recreate her exact look, as if it was some sort of unusual cosplay. She briefly wondered how they'd have coped if she'd been wearing that hideous rainbow coat from her first mid-lives crisis.

There it was again. That flash of the past. Why was she struggling so much to stay on the here and now?

"This is truly an honour," the supreme leader said, as their tea arrived. "We of course prepared for your arrival, but we never thought-"

"Cool story," the Doctor said, a slight wince as her shields continued to buckle. "But if you could just fill me in on what happened after the event that would help me a lot. This is a planet filled with compassion and racial harmony, isn't it?"

"But of course," the supreme leader said, eagerly leaning forward to explain the history of the planet to the saviour. "You came to us in our hour of need and showed us that we need to stand up against oppression and violence, to be united in stamping out all that is corrupt and wrong."

"Well that's a relief," the Doctor said.

"Yes, thanks to you, the rehabilitation of the Arash was a complete success!"

"That's great to hear," the Doctor said absent-mindedly.

"Yes, if not for you, we'd never have had the courage to put that scum in its place. You okay?" the supreme leader added, as the Doctor chocked on her tea. The Doctor waved away her help, putting the tea cup down, before turning to the woman.

"I think you better tell me exactly what happened."

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"This is so weird," Ryan said, as they walked down the street. Around them was a cavalcade of Doctor memorabilia, her face stuck on anything and everything. Children ran around dressed up as her, buses passed with her face on them, stores were filled to the bring with stock.

"This year, the Doctor faces her greatest challenge," came the sound from a billboard. Graham and Ryan stopped to watch the movie trailer.

"I don't think these people know the Doctor very well," Graham said.

"Is it because she's using a gun?" Ryan asked, as the actor playing the Doctor fired upon a crowd before turning around, an explosion going off behind her.

"That was one of the giveaways, yes," Graham said.

"Mummy I want a Doctor doll," screamed a little child, dressed in the Doctor's clothes.

"You already have seven," the mother replied exasperatedly.

"Yes but this one has new catchphrases," the girl replied. "And you wouldn't want me to report you as being unpatriotic now, would you?"

This seemed to quickly shut the mother up, as she allowed herself to be dragged into the store.

"This is so weird," Graham said.

"Where are all the lizard people?" Ryan asked.

"Now that you mention it," began Graham, looking around in concern. He caught something out of the corner of his eye, a narrow alleyway filled with flickering shadows. He tapped Ryan on the shoulder and the two of them moved towards it.

Inside the alleyway there was a small Arash boy, similar to the boy that the two of them had seen only moments ago one hundred years previously. The situation was somewhat similar as well, surrounded by various humans, all carrying weapons.

"Well well well," sneered the ringleader. "What do you think you're doing topside."

"Please," begged the boy. "I was just getting some food from this dumpster. My mother's sick and-"

"As if I would listen to a snake," sneered the man, throwing a punch at the boy.

"Hey!" Ryan and Graham cried in unison, darting forward and breaking up the circle, protecting the boy. "What do you think you're doing?" Graham asked, eyes locked with the ringleader.

"Getting this snake to tell the truth," the ring leader replied.

"He's just a kid," Ryan said.

"He's a freak," replied one of the other humans, brick in his hand. "He belongs in the sewer with the rest of them."

"Why don't you just walk away," began Graham, when he was suddenly hit in the back of the head by something that's used-by date no longer applied to this decade.

"Who threw that," he began, before another object which was once certainly food but was now more a home for something not quite as desirable hit him in the face.

"Follow me," the little Arash boy said, leading the two men away as they found themselves pelted by rubbish. Quickly they slid down a manhole cover, the jeers of their tormentors echoing behind them.

"We should be safe here," the Arash boy said. "They won't follow us."

"What's their problem," said Ryan, as he brushed off someone's dinner from the last week off his jacket.

"They're human, I'm Arash," the boy said, much the same way someone pointed out the blueness of sky or greenness of grass.

"Yeah but it isn't right," said Graham, as he tried to remove the cheese-like milk from his hair.

The young Arash boy looked at them blankly, eyelids blinking sideways.

"I'm Arash," he repeated, much the same way you repeat to a toddler that food goes into the mouth.

"So?" Ryan repeated, much like a toddler who didn't understand why they couldn't eat the sticky thing they'd found on the ground.

"Do you seriously not understand?" the boy said, somewhat insulted.

"We're not from around here," said Graham.

"Clearly," the boy said, looking the two men up and down. "Why did you help me?"

"Why wouldn't we?" asked Ryan.

"Cos I'm Arash..."

"Look, let's just start over. I'm Graham, this is my grandson Ryan, and you are?"

"Reahts," said the boy. "You really don't have a problem with me?"

"Should we?" said Graham.

"You really aren't from around here..." Arash said slowly. "But that would mean."

"Look, can you tell us why those guys were bullying you. And don't just say 'I'm Arash', we don't understand."

"Because Arash aren't allowed on the surface on threat of death," Reahts replied. "That's the law."

"So, what, you have to live underground?"

"Better than the slave mines."

"The what?"

"You really aren't from around here."

"Look, just tell us what happened in the last hundred years," Graham said. "Why is the Doctor face everywhere?"

"Why?" Reahts said in disgust. "Cos she's the one who caused this, of course. She's the one responsible for almost wiping out the Arash race!"

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"The video was wildly popular of course," the supreme leader said. "Soon became the most viewed video in our nation. The way you stood up to those cops was inspiring."

"And protected a helpless little boy, yes, I remember," said the Doctor. "What happened next."

"Well the government at the time disbanded the police force, to look into what led to the incident. Of course those slimy Arash realized this was a perfect time to strike, and tried to destroy our government under the pretence that the 'crime' inflicted upon the boy hadn't properly been dealt with. Absurd, of course, cos it's not like the boy had even died. No a simple over-reaction quickly spiralled out of control as it became clear that they wanted to overthrow us and rule."

"They wanted to overthrow you..." the Doctor said slowly. "Even though you out-numbered them ten to one... and were no doubt just arguing for equal treatment under the law..."

"Well that was their excuse, at first. But when one of them killed poor, sweet, little Jeffery."

"Who?"

"A blue-eyed angel who committed the seemingly unforgivable crime of getting in their way. Some Arash thugs killed him in cold blood, purely for being human."

"I find that hard to believe," the Doctor countered.

"Yes, well, you can't argue with facts. Anyway this of course led to the realization that these snakes just wanted death and destruction with no rhyme or reason, so the government of the day was forced to act. Fortunately you had shown us how to stand up to bullies, so we copied your lead and pushed them back."

"To where?"

"To the mines, mostly, though some are still running free in little pockets here and there. Don't worry, we'll exterminate them as soon as we find them, they won't live for long. Can't let this infestation continue to grow. Anyway, you inspired us to deal with these monsters with overwhelming force, and now we follow that example every day. If you don't like something, stand up and fight for it, no matter what the opposition is. Why, just the other day a woman tried to criticize the state."

"Taking my lead then?"

"Good gracious no, she was standing up for some lies, we couldn't have that. You should have seen her at the execution though, she could have at least died with dignity. The husband and children were no better though, so I can't say I'm all that surprised."

"You executed the children!"

"It's what you would have done."

The Doctor said nothing, glaring at the woman with all the hatred she could muster. This was wrong, not just with the timeline changes, but morally, fundamentally... For a brief moment she pondered letting down her shield, letting the pain take over, and using that to rip this entire world to little pieces, to inflict the pain onto them the same pain they'd forced onto others.

No. No, that's not what the Doctor would do. As much as she wanted to do it, she was the Doctor, and the Doctor didn't do that. She would dismantle this empire, there wasn't a doubt about it, but she would do things her way. Not her enemies.

"I know you're upset," the supreme leader said with a smile.

"Oh good," the Doctor replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm the same way an apple drips with poison.

"But don't worry, we're sending a raiding party out as we speak. They'll find the last of these snakes and make sure they're dealt with. And then we can have a glorious Doctor Day, one that would make you proud of all we're done."

"You're going to kill innocent Arash?"

"Well I wouldn't say innocent. They are snakes, after all. But thanks to my men's body cams they're going to be able to give you a live feed." She pressed a button, a wall suddenly flickering on as a giant TV.

"Oh I can't wait to see what happens," the supreme leader said, as her men moved down the sewers, ready for the kill.

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"So after they framed some Arash for the death of the boy, what happened next was somewhat inevitable. Forced round-ups, Arash sent to the mines to die, with only a few of us managing to escape. We normally try to keep out their sight, live in the sewers, but my mum doesn't have much longer and I thought a cake for her birthday would be nice."

Reahts looked at the squished remains of the piece of cake he had managed to swipe from the dumpster. It was hardly appetizing, but it was clear it meant a lot to the young boy.

"I'm sure the Doctor will help your mum," Ryan said, only for Arash to glare at him with disgust.

"Why am I helping you again?" Reahts asked.

"Because we're not like those other humans," said Graham. "We're friends with the Doctor. The real one, not the ugly parody this society has created."

"So you said," Reahts said, clearly not believing them. Still, they had helped him, and they could have easily revealed their biases when he told the story. They'd done the reverse in fact, appalled by how the Arash were treated in the mines. Ryan almost looked like he was going to thrown up when it was revealed that tail separation was standard policy, and that the lack of needing eyes meant removing them without anaesthetic was an acceptable punishment for minor infractions such as collapsing from exhaustion.

"Well we'll do what we can to help you," said Ryan, as they turned the corner to find a small huddling of Arash. It was clearly a small refugee of sorts, as there were at least thirty all painfully cramped together.

"About time you got back," snapped one of the older ones. "We need to get a move on. Human patrols are on the-" He stopped when he saw Ryan and Graham, frozen in terror. Within moments Ryan and Graham found knives at their throats, Arash snarling into their ear.

"Sorry," said Reahts, and he almost seemed to be. "But hostages are too useful."

"But we could help you," said Ryan, as he tried not to breath too hard.

"Doubt it," said Reahts. "You can't trust any humans, can you."

The two humans were about to argue a counter when suddenly they heard approaching footsteps. Everyone turned to see a squad of human soldiers advancing down another sewer line, having just turned a corner and making a beeline towards them.

"Prepare to fire," shouted the lead, raising his machine gun.

"We have hostages," cried the older Arash, indicating to Ryan and Graham.

"They'd gladly die if it eradicates you lot," said the lead.

"No we don't," Graham and Ryan said in unison, but it was clear that the soldier wasn't listening.

"Take aim," said the lead, several guns pointing at the Arash. "Ready... Fi-"


	29. Catalyst - Episode Three

Doctor Who

Catalyst

Episode Three

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Ryan and Graham squeezed their eyes shut, waiting for the hail of bullets to sprinkle them like toppings on a doughnut. Instead there was a strange calmness surrounding them. Carefully they peaked, only to find the soldiers hadn't moved.

"Copy that," said the lead, still refusing to lower his gun. "You are in luck. The supreme leader has decided to spare your lives and allow you to work in the mines for the glory of the empire."

"We're better off dead," snarled the Arash holding Graham, pushing the man forward before rushing the lead cop, only to be immediately gunned down. The Arash holding Ryan didn't have the same nerve, instead turning around to take off, likewise finding his escape cut short with some new holes in the back.

"Stop!" Graham and Ryan cried in unison, as all but five of the thirty Arash were disposed of in some way or another. Some had tried to attack, some had try to flee, a few had stayed where they were. Reahts looked up at the two men that followed him, scowling.

"I knew it," he snarled, his tail vibrating angrily.

"Bring them" the main cop said, grabbing Reahts and pulling him away.

"This female can't walk," said one of the cops, pointing a gun at an elderly Arash.

"You know what to do," said the lead cop.

"Mum!" cried Arash, but it was too late. A bullet made it clear what the consequences were.

Graham and Ryan tried to struggle, but it was half-hearted, as they were too much in shock. They let themselves be dragged away from the carnage lying behind them, wondering where they were going to end up next.

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"Welcome," the supreme leader said, as Ryan and Graham were lead into the main stateroom. "You must be the Doctor's faithful companions. Apologies for getting you mixed up with the scum, if we had known you were here we'd have protected you from their filth."

"Protected-" began Ryan, but the Doctor put up her hand, gesturing for silence.

"Thank you so much supreme leader," the Doctor said. "Where would I be without my fam."

"Doctor do you know-" began Graham.

"That I was able to save you by convincing the supreme leader to let you live? But of course, you're lucky you were on a live-feed."

"But-"

"You're still shocked by this, I know, why don't you keep quiet and let me do all the talking, there's a good chap."

Graham and Ryan stayed silent, wondering what the hell the Doctor was playing at. This seemed entirely unlike her.

"Anyway, I think we might be going," the Doctor said. "People to go, places to meet, the usual thing."

"But Doctor," said the supreme leader, "you can't leave during our greatest moment."

"Oh I wouldn't want to hog the spotlight," the Doctor said, only to find her way was blocked as she tried to make it to the door.

"You seemed to misinterpret that as a request," the supreme leader said. "No, you can't leave during our greatest moment. We've been waiting decades for you to return so we can finally do it."

"Do what?" the Doctor asked nervously, flickering around the room for other exits. If she was by herself the window would be a viable alternative, but she couldn't put Graham and Ryan in danger.

"Finally exterminate the Arash scum of course," the supreme leader said. "We'll be conducting it at midnight, and you have the honour of pressing the button that'll destroy the mines."

"And if I refuse?" the Doctor asked, trying to act like a casual inquisitor. The supreme leader snapped her fingers. Two guards suddenly grabbed Ryan and Graham, pinning their arms behind their backs.

"Then your friends will join the Arash down in the mines," said the supreme leader. "The button is going to get pressed either way Doctor. It's up to you to decide who presses it."

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"You know, out of all the jail cells I've been in, this is certainly one of the better ones." The Doctor admired the room they had been thrown in. The on-suite had a toilet made of solid gold, and the four post bed had a mattress so thick that it seemed to transcend dimensions.

"You're not going to push the button, are you?" Ryan asked nervously.

"I'm slightly offended that you even considered asking that question," the Doctor said.

"Well it's more about how you're going to stop us from getting front row seats," said Graham, as he nervously squirmed in a chair.

"Working on it," the Doctor said, scanning the room.

"What is going on?" Ryan asked. "They look at you like you're some sort of hero, and yet they act like this to you?"

"That's fascists to you. Can't abide it when someone has an original thought. Especially not their glorious figurehead."

"Is this all because you saved that boy?"

The Doctor didn't immediately reply, instead examining a painting of herself.

"All this happened because of that..." said Ryan slowly. "Because you saved one boy, all these people here died."

"Ryan, if I showed you a child and told you that that kid was going to grow up to become an evil dictator, responsible for the murder of millions, would you kill that child?"

"No," Ryan replied instinctively, not needing to consider the implications of his speech.

"You can't expect me to have done the same then. I don't regret what I did."

"But this society-" began Graham.

"Don't you for a second think I support this. This stands against everything the Doctor believes in. This is just evil."

"So what are we going to do? Go back in time to change it?"

"To change one fixed point in time is bad. To try and change it again... Well, if the universe survived it the first time, it certainly won't again."

"So we just leave it as is? Try to fix what happened here?"

"I don't know if I can fix it," the Doctor said. "Empires, those are easy to topple. But this hatred... there's nothing that can remove this stain. There's no magic fix."

"But we have to do something," said Ryan.

"I know, I know," the Doctor said, sinking into a seat. Ryan and Graham glanced at each other. They'd never seen the Doctor so defeated before. She looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"It's okay Doc," said Graham. "We don't blame you. We'd have done the same thing."

"But I should have known better," the Doctor said. "I'm a Time Lord. There are some rules that can't be broken. I tried to, once. It killed me to do so. I can't risk killing the Doctor again."

Ryan and Graham glanced at each in confusion, but before they could say anything more the doors swung open.

"Show time," the supreme leader said with a smile. "We wouldn't want to keep our adoring public waiting." Without missing a beat two guards walked forward and seized the two men, dragging them out of the room. They wanted to struggle, but couldn't help but feel as if it was a waste of time as they saw the Doctor sitting in the chair motionless.

"Come along dear," the supreme leader said. "I know you don't want to do it. That was clear the moment we first met. But it isn't always about you now, is it. Think about all the people you'll let down... including your friends."

The Doctor sat in the chair, seemingly not listening to a thing that was being said.

"Come on now, stop sulking," the supreme leader said, reaching to grab the Doctor. The Doctor's hand lashed out, grabbing the woman and dragging her down to the Doctor's level.

"Don't you dare touch me with your filthy hands," she snarled. "I don't want your stink on me." She threw the supreme leader away, getting up slowly. The supreme leader brushed herself off, trying to not act rattled.

"Follow me, Doctor," she said. "Come meet the world you inspired."

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The cheers from the crowd was deafening. As the Doctor looked across the courtyard there was hardly an empty space. The police held strong with the barricade, guns at the ready the moment anyone tried anything foolish. A few over-eager fans had already been carried off, to be disposed off later.

"My glorious humans," the supreme leader said, smiling at her audience, her face being mirrored on the countless screens around the planet. "Today is a day we have long waited for. Today we not only end the Arash, but we meet the woman who caused all this to happen. Say hello to the Doctor."

The roar almost pushed the Doctor off her feet, a wave of noise that almost battered down the shields in her mind. She felt the internal battle, her previous selves trying to hold off the approaching wave of madness. Yet they themselves felt like they were changing and morphing, becoming something unrecognizable.

"Hillscarians," the Doctor said, in-between the cheers, as she stood before them on the balcony. "Listen to me. Listen to the story I am about to tell you."

A silence fell over the crowd, thousands of ears eagerly listening to every note the Doctor was about to say.

"I once visited this planet when I was younger. A glorious planet, one that helped inspired my granddaughter and I to become the best we could be. This planet showed me what I could be if I choose to be, what it meant to the Doctor. It inspired me to do better, be better."

The Doctor waited patiently for the crowd to die back down again.

"That planet... no longer exists. What I see before me now is a vile, disgusting display of humanity at its worse. Bigotry, xenophobia, hatred. The most revolting of human nature not only brought to the forefront but celebrated as something worth caring about."

"Cut her off," the supreme leader snarled, but the audio technician next to her just shrugged. A glance at the Doctor showed that she'd plugged some sort of cylinder into her microphone, creating a separate source of power.

"I have spent my lives fighting for what is right and just," the Doctor said, well aware that there was unrest before and behind her, but accepting her fate. If she was going to die, she was going to do it with the record set straight. "I have lived and died and lived again trying to do the right thing. I have chosen to be the Doctor, to help and heal all those I come in contact with. I have made a pledge with both my hearts to do good. But this... this is evil."

"I'll kill you," hissed the supreme leader.

"Go ahead," the Doctor said into the microphone. "Kill your figurehead for denouncing your actions. I'd rather die for my cause than be a puppet for yours."

The crowd started to grow restless, clearly conflicted as years of brainwashing propaganda crashed down around them. The police looked at each other nervously, not sure what to do.

"This empire of yours ends here," the Doctor continued. "This day, no further. I will wipe your planet out of existence if it means protecting the rest of the universe from your vile diseased minds. You all have a choice. Either join me, denounce the evils of xenophobia and hatred, or watch as everything around you perishes."

The crowd squirmed and shouted, panic breaking out. The figure at the microphone watched the pandemonium dispassionately. Why should she care what these people do to each other.

"So you've chosen for your friends to die," the supreme leader sneered.

"They'd happily die if it means stopping you," the figure at the microphone said.

"How ironic," the supreme leader said. "That's the same thing my men say." Without hesitation she darted forward, ready to press the big button next to the microphone, only to find the figure next to it grabbing her. With a single throw the supreme leader found herself dangling over the balcony.

"Give me one good reason I don't drop you right now," the figure said.

"Cos you're the Doctor," the supreme leader replied with a smirk.

"Oh no," the figure said, pulling the supreme leader close to her face. "I was the Doctor, once. Then I visited here, as a young man, with my granddaughter. And he learned a valuable lesson, about how hatred and cruelty let you do whatever you want. That that's the only way to truly make the universe a better place."

"So what are you now?" the supreme leader asked, starting to feel fear for the first time in ages.

"I am the Time Lord Victorious," said the Time Lord. "I am the Valeyard. I am the thing the monsters obey. Because if they don't..."

The Time Lord's speech was cut off when there was a sudden shriek from the crowd. The world around them suddenly plunged into a darkness never seen before. Everyone looked up into a night sky to see the stars disappear, one by one.

The Doctor suddenly looked around, horrified at what was happening, throwing the supreme leader back onto the balcony. She looked back up, seeing the stars disappear even faster. Around her the lights of the world were going out, as the crowd seemed to start being muffled, as if a giant wave was washing them away. The last thing she saw as the darkness enveloping her was the supreme leader, a dark, twisted reflection of herself looking back at her. And then everything was gone.


	30. Catalyst - Episode Four

Doctor Who

Catalyst

Episode Four

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"Doctor?" said Ryan cautiously, as he and Graham looked at the darkness around them. "You there?"

"Graham?" said a familiar voice. "Ryan?" Both of them turned, though the idea was somewhat meaningless given that there was nothing else really going on around them. No real sense of direction save for what they decided.

The Doctor ran up and hugged them, sobbing. Graham and Ryan awkwardly patted her on the back, not sure what else to do.

"I'm so sorry," she cried. "I didn't want this. I didn't want any of this."

"It's okay," Graham said. "We're here Doc. I will admit, I did think we were goners as we stood outside that mine, but you clearly saved us, right?"

The Doctor said nothing, not wanting to let go of her fam. Ryan and Graham stared at each other awkwardly.

"Err, Doctor," Ryan said, trying to pull away. "Where are we?"

"What's left of the universe," the Doctor said. "The timeline change, it didn't just affect this planet. It affected me. I could feel the changes affecting my personal history. Making me someone else, making me... something else. The paradox of my changing was so great that the universe couldn't sustain it, couldn't handle two different timelines at once."

"So this is all that's left?" Ryan asked. "Just the three of us?"

"Not quite," the Doctor said darkly. "You might as well show yourself," she said to someone, though who it could be was a mystery to both Ryan and Graham.

Suddenly a child appeared. A small child, but beyond that describing them seemed impossible. They seemed to be everything at the same time. Male and female. Blond hair, black hair, fair skin, dark skin. Every type of child possible and yet none at the same time. They were just like any other child except... the eyes. The eyes were filled with chaos.

"Who are you?" Graham asked the child. The child didn't seem to respond, just staring blankly at the two.

"Are you my mommy?" the child asked the Doctor.

"There's a nostalgic flashback," the Doctor said, mostly to herself. "No, I'm not your mother. But I knew her. She was a friend."

"Doctor, who is that?" asked Ryan.

"Ryan, Graham, let me introduce you to one of the Children of Gallifrey."

"One of the what?"

"It'll take too long to explain," the Doctor said. "Suffice it to say that the Paradox Child is our only hope."

"Is that why you summoned me?" the child asked.

"Yes. I started all this with a paradox. I know you will be able to fix this."

"What do I get in return?"

"Me."

"No!" Ryan and Graham said in unison.

"Look, if you need one of us to stay behind, let it be me Doctor," said Graham. "I'm old, I've had a good life, and you're more important than me."

"No," said Ryan. "There must be another way."

"This isn't something we can discuss," the Doctor said, turning back to the child. "Can you promise me you'll take them home?"

"But of course," the child said. "I can make it so they never met you. Would that be better?"

"Of course it wouldn't," said Ryan.

"That's fine then. I won't have to work as hard."

"Doctor, you can't allow this to happen," said Graham.

"What do you want me to do instead?" the Doctor said. "Let that evil and hatred spread throughout the universe? You don't remember what I did in my other lives Graham. The person I was... you wouldn't recognize them. That person is everything I stand against."

"Oh spare me your sentimental claptrap," said a startling familiar voice. Out of the blackness walked the Doctor, but she was... different. Her hair was tied back, her clothes a black suit, her usual warmth and cheeriness gone.

"Doc," began Graham.

"Valeyard," the Doctor said. "Or Time Lord Victorious. Or whatever you want me to call you."

"Dictator will be fine," said the Dictator, adjusting her cufflinks. "Though I haven't heard Valeyard in years. Remember when we fought in the Matrix? Fun times."

"Okay I'm seriously confused," said Ryan.

"This is the me created by the paradox," the Doctor said. "All my evil thoughts and desires made flesh. All created thanks to the Paradox Child."

"Yes, thank you child, for giving me form," the Dictator said. "I do so enjoy it when I get to come out and play. Did I tell you that the Time Lords planned to use me during the Time War cos they thought you were too soft? Shame they couldn't have given me your regenerations, I'd have been so much better than you were."

"So this is an evil mirror version of you?" asked Graham. "Where's the goatee?"

The Doctor couldn't help but let out a smirk at that. Despite all that was happening, despite the massive danger, she was glad that she was with her friends at least.

"Anyway, shall we get down to business," the Dictator said. "Only one of our universes can continue, and I think it's obvious that it should be mine."

"You what?" said Ryan. "Why?"

"Because my universe is one free of war and strife," the Dictator replied smugly.

"Only because there's no sort of free will," the Doctor replied. "Any thought not yours gets immediately stamped out, isn't that right?"

"Better than letting them fester and grow. To allow them to build up and hurt others. I may be strict, but your passiveness leads to far more blood on your hands. What good is free will if people choose to be cruel?"

"Because they can also choose to be kind, and caring, and selfless."

"Please, have you met your universe? Half of it is full of monsters that only care about the here and them then they do about anything else around them, and that's the good half."

"So you're saying that we should ban freedom because a few abuse it?"

"Ha, a few? Doctor, can you name one truly peaceful society where no violence or bloodshed exists? I have a universe in perfect harmony, the majority all in agreement, the undesirables removed in order for a more pure universe."

"You must get on swimmingly with the Daleks."

"They were the first to go. A race like that, well, I didn't hesitate to touch those wires together. How many do you think I saved in that decision? Trillions? Zillions? More than any being could reasonably count."

"It caused some races that wouldn't otherwise unite to come together," the Doctor justified, knowing full well that her argument was more hollow than the space where this Dictator's hearts would be.

"And die needlessly, yes, very heroic. Face it Doctor, I'm the better version of you because I did what needed to be done. There are no Daleks, there are no Cybermen, there was no Time War. No child going to bed fearing the monster underneath it, not when they knew I was there to protect them."

"Only by obeying you."

"Better than praying to you and hoping you came. But you didn't want to sit around and fix things, did you. You'd just happily wander off and do your own thing, pretend to be the hero where it suited and leave before it got difficult. I stayed behind and did the difficult job of building a better universe."

"But your universe has no freedom."

"And what has freedom ever gotten the universe? What has it ever done to the universe? What greatness does freedom hold to anyone except you."

"It-" began the Doctor.

"Face it Doctor, your freedom and your choice is what led to this mess. Your choice to save that little boy is what led to my creation. Your choice to put your own ego ahead of your responsibility as a Time Lord created my universe. You did this Doctor. I was just trying to fix your mess."

The Doctor paused, struggling to find an answer. Her other selves were great at speeches, but she was lacking a bit in this regeneration. Try as she might, she couldn't think up an argument.

"I've seen what your type of order leads to," said Graham. "One where my grandson and I aren't very welcome."

"Yeah," said Ryan. "You make it sound great, but the Doctor's shown us worlds where people like you are in charge, and it isn't paradise."

"That's right," agreed Graham. "In fact you like to think everyone's happy cos you're only listening to people like you, you don't listen to the little guys like us."

"Yeah, so leave the Doctor alone," added Ryan. "She might not be perfect, but she actually tries to make things better. What do you do?"

"I create a universe of peace and order," the Dictator said testily.

"Well that doesn't sound like that fun of a universe, does it son?"

"No it doesn't Gramps. I think we're going to vote for the Doctor."

"As if your opinions matter," the Dictator said.

Without warning the Doctor broke into a chuckle, which slowly and steadily grew bigger and more joyous.

"What's wrong with you," snarled the Dictator. "Have you gone mad?"

"Absolutely barmy," the Doctor said. "All the best people are. Because look at you, and your precious universe. The moment you get any criticism you disagree with you reject it as being wrong. You can't handle anyone disagreeing with you. What a pathetically boring universe yours must be. Nothing but "yes sir" and "yes ma'am". No original thought, no interesting discussion, just an entire universe playing the same note for the rest of time."

"But no crime, no evil, no one ever dying a needless death-"

"That's your problem, you focus solely on death. You're not focusing on the complexity of life. Yes, bad things happen, that's a consequence of giving people freedom. But good stuff happens as well, a lot of it. To act as if the good things are always negated by the bad things is absurd. They both exist in unison, one with the other. Bad things exist, but so do good, and when you have choice then everyone can choose to be good if they want. Isn't the choice better? If not, then what's the point of life at all?"

"You're a fool," sneered the Dictator.

"And you're incredibly insecure," the Doctor said, laughing again. "I don't mind being a fool. Takes courage to be an idiot. Only a coward hides their own ignorance by claiming they're always right."

"I don't have to listen to this," said the Dictator dismissively. "Child, you heard our cases, which universe you going to pick."

"Yes, child," the Doctor said calmly. "Which one are you going to pick? A calm, orderly one where nothing interesting happens. Or the chaotic one full of mischief?"

"Well when you put it like that," said the Paradox Child with a mischievous smile.

"No!" screamed the Dictator, running forward and grabbing the Child. "You will give me what I want! I will rule!"

"I'm afraid not," the Doctor said. "I've been denying you for too long." The Doctor put her hand on the Dictator's shoulder and spun her around, her evil twin dropping the child in the process. She went into a hug with the Dictator, holding her tight.

"I won't go back there," the Dictator said. "I'll fight you, at every moment, at every decision. I will fight you."

"I know," the Doctor said. "You will force me to constantly choose. That is the consequence of my decision. But you need to know one thing."

She looked her doppelgänger square in the eyes, holding her head in her hands.

"I will always choose to be the Doctor."

Suddenly there was a bright light, forcing Ryan and Graham to shield their eyes. In the blur it was almost as if the Doctor and the Dictator were stepping forth in unison, merging into one being. When the light died down there was the Doctor, standing in her regular clothes.

"Brilliant," the Doctor said. "Fantastic. I'm so glad that worked."

"Is the Dictator gone?" Ryan asked cautiously.

"She's in my head," the Doctor said. "She's in your head too. All the worst impulses, all those moments when you want to choose to be cruel and cowardly, that's her... metaphorically speaking, of course. Be weird if a version of me lived in you head."

"Doc," said Graham, equally cautious. "About the universe?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, the fact that nothing exists. Thanks Graham, I almost forgot."

"You almost forgot that the universe didn't exist?"

"I've had a busy day, okay. Anyway, Child."

"Yes, Doctor?"

"Can you revert the universe back to how it was before the paradox?"

"With ease," the Paradox Child said.

"Then I guess this is goodbye," the Doctor said, turning to a crestfallen Graham and Ryan.

"But-" began Ryan.

"Nothing changed. The price of this universe is still my life. The Dictator would never have chosen to do it, but I stick by my promises."

"No, we won't let you," began Graham, but the Doctor nodded to the child. There was a flash, and the next thing they knew both men were back in their house.

"Doctor?" Ryan asked slowly, as they looked around.

"I guess she's not coming back," Graham said, somewhat shocked. He sat down at the kitchen table, trying to make sense of it.

"Now what?" Ryan asked.

"No idea," admitted Graham.

"Well, at least you're here," Ryan said with a smile, putting his hand onto Graham's. His grandfather returned it, holding onto Ryan. Both of them sat silently, each lost in thought.

"Well then," Graham said. "I suppose I should put on the kettle for a cuppa."

"Make me one," said a familiar voice. Both of them turned to the front door to see the Doctor standing there, beaming.

"Sorry for letting myself in," she said. "Sonic didn't too bad a job on your lock... I think, I've never actually checked what happens to the lock after I use this."

"Doctor," said Ryan, rushing forward and giving the Doctor a hug.

"How did you escape?" Graham asked in disbelief.

"Oh I convinced the child to let me go," the Doctor said casually. "I can be very persuasive you know. Anyway, do you want to have dinner here, or on the third moon of Asoblume? It has a clam chowder that's to die for."

"I could do with something to eat," said Ryan to his grandfather.

"Well let's not wait around son," said Graham, grabbing his coat.

"TARDIS is just round the corner," the Doctor said. "I'm just gonna check the lock..." She didn't bother finishing her thought, the two friends already disappearing into the TARDIS. She stood in the doorway, pondering what exactly had happened.

"I'll let you go," the Paradox Child had said. "In exchange for your word."

"Go on," the Doctor had said cautiously.

"You help free me and my siblings," the Child said. "You let us explore the universe again. You let us see what's changed. And you let us find our parents."

The Doctor leant on the door, biting her lip. The Paradox Child, the Nightmare Child, the other Children of Gallifrey, and most of all...

The Doctor shook her head and closed the door, relieved to her a locking sound. But in her hearts she was worried. If the Timeless Child was close to escaping, as she feared... It wouldn't be long before the Child decided to take its revenge of its father. And there would be very little the Doctor could do to stop it.


	31. Fugitive of the Stenza - Episode One

The Doctor stood in front of the massive doors, dwarfing her and her TARDIS. Whoever had the power to drag her TARDIS off course must be an incredibly powerful species, almost on par with the Time Lords. She was thankful that she left Graham and Ryan home on this adventure, they would be too much of a liability at this moment.

She put her hands on the door, ready to throw them open, before pausing briefly. Her other selves would have no doubt pushed the doors open in a triumphant sweep, before striding in as if they owned the place. She could do that, sure, but given the universe's nature to underestimate the current form she was in, using it to her advantage would be a far better strategy.

Instead she carefully pushed on one of the doors, letting it slowly creak open. The room inside was dark, and she was about to reach for her sonic when suddenly the lights turned on. It was almost a museum to the aliens of the universe, only far more grotesque.

"Ah, Doctor," said a strange voice. The Doctor turned to the centre of the room where, at the long table, sat a blue-faced alien in royal gear. "I'm so glad you can join us. Please, sit. It's not every day that someone gets to eat with the King of the Stenza."

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Doctor Who

Fugitive of the Stenza

Episode One

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"Impressive collection you have here," the Doctor said, as she slowly wandered over to him, examining her surroundings. A head of a Cyberman, an eyestalk of a Dalek, the wings of a Weeping Angel. It was almost as if it was a collection of her greatest foes, all staring back at her.

"I thank you, Doctor," the King said, raising a goblet to her.

"Oh that's not a compliment," the Doctor said. "What you're doing is absolutely barbaric and uncivilized. But you certainly have passion for it, I can't deny you that, even if it is fundamentally wrong."

"And there's the famous preachiness of the Doctor," sniggered the King. "I wonder, can you go five minutes without lecturing anyone that is in any way different to you?"

"Not yet, but there's always hope that the universe will surprise me. Still, I bet you must be very proud of your accomplishments. A Sontaran, sure. An Ice Warrior, somewhat impressive. But managing to kill an Ood and displaying both of its heads on a shelf? It really must have put up a fight."

"Some hunts were harder than others."

"Yeah, I suspect the Sensorities were a real challenge, truly hard for someone to kill such a peaceful race. Well, someone with a conscious at any rate."

"All this from a woman whose hands are submerged in the blood of whole species."

"Not by choice," the Doctor countered. "My hands were forced. Yours grabbed the kill eagerly. But go on, try and make a comparison between us, I always love when the bad guy tries to take the moral high ground."

"If you're thinking of escaping I wouldn't recommend it," the King said. "You won't be able to make it out of those doors, let alone back to your TARDIS. Why not enjoy my hospitality? Everything on this table was personally hunted by me."

"No thanks, lost my appetite." The Doctor continued to refuse to look at the Stenza, instead scanning around the room for some sort of distraction, something that the King had that had its significance lost on him.

"If you insist," the King said. "Play the fool all you like, it makes no difference to me."

"One question though. Is this collection here, is that something all you Stenzas do?"

"We show off our achievements, yes."

"So do you all put teeth into your face, or..."

The King squirmed a little, a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment.

"Tzim-Sha was very... inexperienced," the King said reluctantly. "We thought having him prove himself on a simple hunt would give him some confidence, but it appears we misjudged his abilities. Do not worry, we took care of him right away."

"Good to know," the Doctor said, wondering whether she could overload the disembodied Dalek gun to cause a diversion.

"He only had a childish understanding of our culture. He was honestly a bit of a waste, he didn't represent the true beauty of the hunt. The ultimate test, you against your prey, with strength winning out. The mighty survive, to claim what is there's, to continue to harness their strength."

"Yeah, all standard talk," the Doctor said dismissively. "The Sontarans tend to say the same thing about war, the Ice Warriors harp on about honour, honestly building your entire culture around one single ideal is a bit creatively stifling. I bet your art scene is rubbish."

"Ah yes, there it is," the Stenza said, stifling a chuckle. "The mighty Time Lord arrogance, the disrespect of any culture that doesn't fit your ideals, the close-mindedness of those who think they're morally superior. But enough of this prattle. Aren't you the least bit curious about why I brought you here?"

"I'd say no, but you're going to tell me anyway. You lot can't help but spill your guts at every opportunity."

"We need you for a hunt-"

"Wow, you really don't know a lot about me then, do you," the Doctor interrupted, laughing at the Stenza. "Did you really do no background research on me?"

"Why would I need to Doctor?" the Stenza asked. "We've met plenty of times."

The Doctor froze mid-grin, quickly switching into a frown.

"I think I'd remember meeting you lot," she said seriously, only to be met with the King's uproarious laughter.

"Oh Doctor, you say that every time," he said, pressing a button on his gauntlet. Images suddenly flickered around the Doctor, showing different versions of her all interacting with the Stenza. Her first incarnation, her previous, the one she'd only recently accepted as part of herself. Those were just three of the many images showing herself and the Stenza interacting in some way.

"This isn't possible," the Doctor said.

"Be reasonable Doctor," the King said. "Tell me, have you ever heard of the Silence."

"Yes," the Doctor said, before slowly putting two and two together.

"Are you saying-" she began.

"That we've harnessed the Silence's power and used it for our own?" the King said. "What greater weapon is there than a prey who forgets that you're hunting them."

"But that shouldn't be possible," the Doctor said. "If what you're saying is true then..."

"You have helped me and my kind several times," the King said. "And you always forget that you do so. But we don't, Doctor. We know all the terrible things you have done and why you did them."

"What do you mean?"

"You helped us hunt down many prey. You will continue to help us hunt down many more. For one simple reason."

The King snapped his fingers. Out of a side door in the large hall came two Stenza guards, dragging their two captors.

"Graham!" the Doctor said urgently. "Ryan!"

"This is always easier when you travel with companions," the King said. "They're the perfect tool to get you to comply."

"If you hurt them in any way-" began the Doctor.

"Yes yes, burn my empire to the ground, make me pay for it dearly, you say this every time and you've always failed to actually do anything about it. Spare my the hysterics Doctor, they're just a waste of time."

"What's going on?" Graham asked, as he shifted uncomfortably around the Stenza. He hadn't kill Tzim-Sha, but that didn't mean he didn't want some sort of revenge against the species.

"Quiet," snapped the King. "You will speak only when spoken to."

"Don't talk to my friends like that," the Doctor said testily.

"Oh please," the King said with a snarl. "You act like they're your friends, but you ditch them at the early convenience. Just look at Yasmin Khan."

"Who?" the Doctor asked.

"The most difficult foe we've ever had to hunt," the King said. "And the person you're going to help me capture. You're going to help me get this Yasmin Khan, Doctor. Or you'll never see your friends again."


	32. Fugitive of the Stenza - Episode Two

Doctor Who

Fugitive of the Stenza

Episode Two

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"I still don't know why you need to bring me along," the Doctor grumbled, as they sat aboard the King's personal warship. She briefly wondered whether she could sneak a text or two to Ryan and Graham, as they were still being held prisoner on the Stenza home-world, but there was little they could do. At best they might be able to make it to the TARDIS and get back home, but after that the Doctor had no real plan.

Not that she really needed a plan. Plans had a tendency to go wrong. Better to not have a plan and then act like you had a plan all along when everything worked itself out. Though she did need a plan to deal with the King. If there was some way of stranding them on wherever they were going in order to hijack his ship...

"Where are we going?" the Doctor asked, as she tried to think of a way of getting free.

"To Cissism," said the King.

"The intergalactic spaceport?" the Doctor queried. "I should warn you now, I'm not exactly welcome there. I've racked up quite a few traffic violations."

"Then I recommend you keep quiet," the King replied. "Not that I think that's remotely possible for you. You would make a terrible hunter."

"You'd make a terrible dog-walker," countered the Doctor. "Still, what happens if I do get spotted by the authorities?"

"Then I kill them, or you, or both," the King replied simply. "And your companions too. No point keeping hostages if the person they're attached to isn't around to do what I want."

"Did anyone tell you that you have a fantastic personality," the Doctor said, as she peered out of the front window of the ship. Cissism was a giant spaceport, filled with all sorts of criminal lowlifes, and a place where one could spend a lifetime being lost in. Truth be told the authorities only patrolled the outer gates, what happened inside the slum area wasn't their concern.

"So the person we're looking for is here?"

"According to what my men have told me, she should be hiding somewhere in the middle. She's apparently become something of a successful smuggler, yet one with a strong moral compass. Quite a few have compared her to you."

"I can't say that's much of a compliment," the Doctor said sourly, as she studied the face. This Yasmin Khan didn't seem to be anything other than a regular human being, though one this far from Earth was a tad unusual. What had she done to have her life swept out from under her like so? Maybe there was some evil force at work manipulating her into doing its bidding.

"So an intergalactic yet human smuggler? Quite an unusual combination. Can you tell me anything else about her?"

"She's incredibly hard to track," the King replied, as he took the ship in for a landing. "It's as if most people forget that they even saw her in the first place."

"And you haven't?"

"You can build an immunity to the Silent Sickness with repeated exposure."

"The Silent Sickness?"

"It's what the Silence gives off to make you forget about them. A pheromone they evolved over time to make them escapable from any hunter. To catch one is seen as the greatest victory a Stenza can ever achieve."

"So are you saying this Yaz somehow has this Silent Sickness?"

"It is often said that warriors who fail in their task of hunting a Silent are never heard of again. We hope they die, but it's entirely possible that they disappear from our perception instead."

"Wonder how she came in contact with the Silence," the Doctor mused. "They all left Earth decades ago, I made sure of that."

"It is only one theory," the King noted, as he got up from his seat. "It's entirely possible that she's just an incredibly good prey animal."

"So what's the plan then?" the Doctor said, eyeing the controls of the ship.

"They only respond to me, Doctor," the King replied. "And even if you did manage to rewire them, I can instantly get in touch with my men back on my home planet."

"Oh of course," the Doctor said. "I was just admiring the craftsmanship. Or should that be crafts Stenza ship? Never know how TARDIS translates needlessly gendered terms into other alien languages. Lord knows we don't use them on Gallifrey."

"If you care to stop your prattle," the King sneered.

"Coming," said the Doctor, darting past the King as quickly as possible. The King followed, unaware of the small sphere that the Doctor had left on his dashboard. It sat there, continuing to blink away, as the Doctor and the King set forth into the most terrible slums.

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"So your plan is to ambush her?" the Doctor asked, as she walked past a strange series of street vendors. There was something touching about such a multi-cultural line-up, all different races coming together to trade conversation and recipes.

"We know where her next trade-off will be," the King said. "Well catch her at her rendezvous."

"And then what? Kill her in cold blood?"

"The buyer wants her alive."

"Oh you're working for someone else-" began the Doctor, before falling silent. The King stopped, suddenly realizing that the Doctor was no longer by her side. The Judoon approaching them passed by obliviously, as the King raised his wrist communicator.

"That's not very Stenza like," concluded the Doctor, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. "Sorry, the Judoon aren't entirely a fan of me."

"You are certainly a good hider," the King said.

"Goes hand in hand with the running. Anyway, who wants her?"

"The Church of the Silence. She escaped from their temple."

"What on earth was she doing there? Well, not on earth, per say, that'd make no sense."

"Silence," hissed the King, as they approached a door. The King rapped on it in a complicated patten, the doorman merely grunting an agreement. The door swung open, revealing one of the seedier pubs that the Doctor had ever seen.

"Stay here and be quiet," the King snarled, directing the Doctor a corner. The Doctor pulled a face at him, but otherwise complied.

She sat at the table, seemingly mucking around with trying to stack the cutlery into a new sculpture. She glanced around at the patrons, a surly lot who consisted of some of her greatest foes. Cissism was a place a majority of them ended up from time to time, on their way to their next great conquest. The Doctor had mused at shutting the whole thing down, but such an interference would have way too many unintended consequences. No, better to leave it open and use it to her advantage as well.

She kept an eye on the King, patiently sitting at the bar, almost but not quite drinking from the mug in his hand. There was a slight sense of tension in the air, as if a storm was brewing and everyone could feel it crackling across their skin.

The Doctor's eyes glanced at the opening of the door, as a hooded figure came in. Sure enough it was their target, this Yasmin Khan. The Doctor got her sonic screwdriver out, discreetly scanning the woman. Definitely human, early twenty-first century by the looks of it. And yet thousands of years and millions of light years outside her usual time and place.

She watched the fugitive go over to the King, sitting down next to him. The Doctor tried to read their lips, but their backs were to her, no doubt deliberately. She briefly toyed about sauntering over, but that would put her friends at risk.

Suddenly the two of them stopped talking and stared directly at her. The Doctor retained eye contact, wondering which of them would blink first, when she found herself being beckoned over. Cautiously she made her way over, sonic in hand, as the three of them exited out of the back of the bar and into an incredibly dirty alleyway. What could in theory be a rat if this was on Earth scuttled by the Doctor's feet, its scales scraping across her leg.

"As promised," the King said. "I have brought her to you."

"I mean you sort of forced me along with this-" began the Doctor.

"I wasn't talking to you," the King said, turning back to Yaz. "You wanted the Doctor, there she is. What do you plan to do with her?"

"Oh that's simple," Yasmin Khan said, drawing a gun from her robe and pointing it straight at the Doctor's head. "I'm going to give her exactly what she deserves."


	33. Fugitive of the Stenza - Episode Three

Doctor Who

Fugitive of the Stenza

Episode Three

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"Now I'm sure we can talk about this," the Doctor said, as a million and a half thoughts ran through her brain to figure out what was going on. "You seem like a nice person."

"You really don't know who I am, do you?" Yaz said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I don't think we've ever met," the Doctor replied. "But I've lived a long time, I'm sure you probably bumped into me at some point, probably not with this face."

"Well there's only one thing to do," Yaz said sadly, before suddenly turning her gun on the King. Without warning she fired, the might Stenza warrior crashing to the floor.

"Come on!" Yaz said urgently. "We have to go save Ryan and Graham!"

"Wait, hang on, how do you know who they are?" the Doctor asked.

"They're my friends too, you know."

"No, I don't, they've never mentioned you before. Are you also from Sheffield."

"I'll explain later. Now come on!" She grabbed the Doctor's hand and started to drag her down the back alleys. The Doctor let herself be taken along for the ride, trying to figure out what just happened.

"My ship should be around here," she said, as they made their way to the dock. "I presume you already disabled the Stenza's ship?"

"How did you know-" began the Doctor.

"I saw you place a scrambler on the dashboard before you left," Yaz explained. "Gives you the upper hand if you needed to flee, and would trap your captor here until they agreed with you. It's something I would do."

"Is it?"

"Well, I did learn from the best. Anyway, how long do you think it should keep him from transmitting his home planet?"

"Couple of hours at the very least. You knew that his transmissions were going through his ship?"

"How else was he going to communicate with his people? Anyway, I hope you don't mind a squeeze," she added, as they approached her spaceship. "It's definitely not bigger on the inside."

"Hold up-" began the Doctor, backing away from Yaz.

"I need your help to save Graham and Ryan," Yaz said. "But I will force your hand if necessary."

"How can I trust you?" the Doctor asked suspiciously.

"The same way you trusted me when were on the moons of Scottarian," Yaz replied. "I know you don't remember me Doctor, but ask yourself: Do I look like someone you can trust?"

The Doctor looked the woman over. She had a lot of unanswered questions, but she knew time was of the essence. She boarded the cylindrical spaceship as it raced out of the spaceport, jumping into hyperspace so it could take the long trek back to the Stenza home world. The Doctor just hoped her friends were okay.

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Ryan and Graham looked at each other, trying to think of more ways of passing the time. Their cell was nothing remarkable, but the gruel that had been served to them was quite unpalatable. Some sort of frozen vegetable, and soup that was more ice than liquid.

"No wonder they keep leaving this planet," Ryan said, but Graham wasn't in the mood. Truth be told there was an angry bubbling up inside of him, as every blue face he saw just reminded him of Grace's death.

"I'm sure the Doctor will be back soon," said Ryan.

"Not soon enough," grumbled Graham. "Ryan, do you ever wonder whether travelling with the Doctor is a bad idea?"

"What makes you say that?" asked Ryan.

"Well look where we are now. Trapped on an alien planet, no way home, surrounded by enemies... There are some good parts of it, sure, but I worry that sometimes we won't get home."

"The Doctor hasn't let the two of us down yet, has she."

"But what if she does? She can't win all the time, we've seen that. At some point it's entirely possible that something is going to go wrong and I'm going to lose you."

"You won't-" began Ryan.

"You can't promise that," said Graham. "Neither can the Doctor. We can't even stay safe at home any more without one thing or another trying to get us."

"Are you saying you wish you never met the Doctor?"

"What? No, of course not, the Doctor has been great. I'm just worried, that's all. About you. I can't lose you and Grace. If I do..."

"What's come over you Graham?" Ryan asked in concern. Graham said nothing, avoiding his grandson's gaze, before the inevitably of the situation overtook him.

"I may have cancer," he said. "I planned to get myself tested before this, and if it comes back..."

"I'm sure the Doctor will have a cure for it," said Ryan optimistically.

"And if she doesn't? If I have it, and it gets worse... I don't like you travelling with her without me."

"I can look after myself," said Ryan indignantly.

"I know," said Graham helplessly. "I just... I worry, Ryan. I really do. This life we have, it's not normal. It's not safe. We're trapped in a prison millions of miles from Earth, that's not something other people have to worry about."

"We have each other," Ryan said. "We have the Doctor. The three of us will be able to take on anything. If I know the Doctor, she'll be doing everything she can to get here right away. Just watch. She'll come through that door any minute now."

Suddenly the door did open. Both men looked eagerly, only to see that it was the guard.

"Get up," he snarled.

"What's going on?" asked Graham, instinctively shielding Ryan.

"The King hasn't checked in," the guard explained, as two of his comrades grabbed the two humans. "As such, your life is now forfeit."

"You're going to kill us?" Ryan said, as he desperately struggled against the guard.

"Course not," said the guard. "We're going to hunt you first. The record we had with one prisoner is three hours. Tell me, humans, do you think you'll beat it?"

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"How far away are we?" the Doctor asked Yaz, as she squirmed in the uncomfortable passenger ship.

"Four hours," Yaz said. "I can't risk going any faster without blowing us to kingdom come."

"I could try to boost the systems," the Doctor said, pulling out her sonic screwdriver.

"Thank you, but no," Yaz said. "Just sit there and do nothing."

"You seem to have some idea of what you're doing," the Doctor noted, as she continued to fidget.

"Thirteen years on the run does that to you," Yaz replied, as the ship continued to cruise through hyperspace. "You'd never believe me if I told you I was able to pilot a ship through hyperspace."

"I wouldn't?" the Doctor asked. "Who are you, Yasmin Khan? Why do you keep acting like we know each other."

"Because I was your companion," said Yaz. "At least, until you left me in the Church of the Silence. You forgot all about me."

"I see..." the Doctor said doubtfully. Yaz rolled her eyes, and pressed a few buttons, before turning her ship around.

"You don't believe me? Fine. Read my mind. See what I had to do to survive." She placed the Doctor's hands on her head, and stared the Doctor dead in the eyes.

"I just hope you can live with yourself," she said, as she opened her mind up to the Doctor, and showed the Doctor the truth. A truth that would shock the Doctor to her very core.


	34. Fugitive of the Stenza - Episode Four

Doctor Who

Fugitive of the Stenza

Episode Four

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"Come along child," said a woman in a gruff voice. Yaz peered up to see a woman in a sharp suit and eyepatch staring down at her.

"Who are you?" Yaz asked, as she slowly got to her feet.

"You can call me Madame Kovarian," the woman said, as she beckoned Yaz to follow her. "And you are now the newest recruit to the Church of the Silence."

"The what?" Yaz asked in confusion.

"An organization dedicated to stopping the Doctor and his interference," Madame Kovarian replied, as they walked down familiar corridors.

"You know the Doctor?" Yaz said, probing this strange woman for information.

"Not personally, but I've seen the damage he has caused. Entire civilisations have been destroyed by that man and his arrogance. Thinking that he is above us all, not caring for the lives he ruins along the way. Lives like yours, my dear."

"What do you mean?" asked Yaz cautiously.

"We are aware you came here with the Doctor," Madame Kovarian said. "The older gentleman, with the young man and young woman as his companions. And yourself, of course, though not any more."

"That's right," said Yaz, deciding it was better to play her cards close to her chest and not reveal who the Doctor actually was. "I was travelling with the Doctor. But then she forgot all about me."

"She?" said Madame Kovarian, pouncing on the slip.

"My friend," Yaz quickly replied. "And the Doctor and my other friend. All three of them forgot about me."

"Yes, we saw the whole thing." Madame Kovarian said, seemingly satisfied with Yaz's response. "Repeatedly, in fact. The Doctor is really bad at figuring out what's going on, isn't he?"

"Certainly is," Yaz said, trying to piece together everything that was happening. If these people hated the Doctor, it was only a matter of time before they got into conflict with her. So if she hung around these people...

"You will be a useful asset to our cause," Madame Kovarian said, almost as if she was reading Yaz's mind. "We could do with some intelligence on the Doctor."

"I only just met him," lied Yaz. "First trip in his blue box thingy. I don't know anything about him."

"How unfortunate... Still, we'll put you to use either way. Once we remove that horrible conditioning."

"The what?"

"The Doctor turned the entire human race into his personal army against the Silence... and I bet he hasn't once thought about the consequences of his actions. Typical really. Don't worry, we'll remove it from you, and help you deal with the perception virus."

"So people will start being able to see me again?" Yaz asked hopefully.

"Yes, to a degree. Unfortunately there isn't a complete cure, we have only been able to develop a temporary vaccine. We find the virus helps our operatives in the field."

"Oh," said Yaz, crestfallen.

"Do not worry child. You won't be forgotten or ignored here. We're here for you. And we'll never abandon you at all."

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"The name's Lorna," said a shy young lady, holding her hand out to Yaz. "Lorna Bucket."

"Yasmin Khan," replied Yaz, shaking it.

"Is it true that you travelled with the Doctor?" Lorna asked excitedly.

"A little," lied Yaz.

"That is so awesome. I travelled with him for a few years before, well..."

"What?" asked Yaz as gently as she could.

"I got infected with the perception virus," she said, trying to hold back the tears. "And he just abandoned me. One moment we were travelling the universe together, next moment he turned his back and left me here."

"Same happened with me," came a male's voice. "Danny Smoker. I use to travel with him as well, until he left me. You'll find it's a common story. Half the recruits here are former companions of his that were abandoned by him."

"Why? Why did the Doctor leave you behind?"

"Because all of us saw the moon landing broadcast," explained Danny. "He showed it to all of us, gloating about how amazing the human race was. He was indoctrinating us into being his soldiers, before using us to attack the Silence. It was a way of him using us while feeling guilt free, knowing that he could easily forget about what he did to us. I've not seen my family in years because of him."

"Attention!" came a commanding voice. The three turned to see a uniformed man walk onto the stage in front of them. All around them the murmur of the crowd died down, as a hundred heads turned to face the man, and a hundred headless bodies did the same.

"We are all here for one reason, and one reason only," the man said. "To stop the Doctor from answering the first question. To stop him from bringing back the Time War. To stop him from killing us all. You have all chosen to join this regiment because you've seen first-hand what the Doctor is like, the damage he has caused, the lives he has ruined. You have joined us to put a stop to him once and for all!"

A cheer erupted from the crowd. Lorna and Yaz looked at each other uncomfortably, not quite sure how to feel.

"You will be put through the hardest trials you've ever gone through in your life," the man said, as the crowd settled back into silence. "By believe you me, you'll will become someone else. You will become something else. You will protect our universe from its greatest threat. For glory! For honour!"

"For glory!" echoed the crowd. "For honour!"

"Death to the Doctor!" yelled the Colonel.

"Death to the Doctor!" came the reply, as the new recruits prepared for the hardest challenge of their life.

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The training was hard, there was little doubt about that. It was similar to the police boot camp Yaz had gone to, back in her old life, but far more extreme. She wasn't alone though, with Lorna and Danny by her side at every opportunity. The danger, the thrill of of it all, it couldn't help but remind her of being with the Doctor a little bit. It felt good, having a purpose, having something to do.

It took a few years, but they all graduated, hitting the front lines of the war. Lorna found herself posted on Demon's Run, a rather uninspiring guard job, but one that she worked at with great pride. Danny found himself aboard Tasha Lem's starship, one of the many guards assigned to her for more ceremonial reasons than anything else. And Yaz...

Her superiors had noted the young woman, the skills she possessed, how useful should be in the upcoming war. Yaz couldn't help but feel nice that someone was noticing her. She never felt like the Doctor really gave her any attention, that she was often shoved into the background with little to do, and that was before she was abandoned. But now she was leading a squadron, taking charge, feeling a sense of control over her life.

She was out on patrol when she heard the news. Demon's Run fell. Lorna had died, murdered by the Doctor. Yaz didn't want to believe it, there was no way the Doctor she knew could have done that. The man in the video said he was the Doctor, but he wasn't really the Doctor, maybe some sort of imposter? That didn't explain the TARDIS though, and the Doctor had mentioned something about 'regeneration' at some point or another. It could be her, maybe.

It was Danny's turn to die next, at the plunger of a Dalek. Shot down during the battle with the Doctor, caught in the crossfire. Yaz had been stationed elsewhere, as the church slowly disintegrated, the remains of which were surrounding a planet called Trenzalore. After the battle of Demon's Run and the death of Madame Kovarian the entire church seemed to crumble into a shell of what it once was.

Yaz once again found herself isolated and alone. She was still sent on reconnaissance missions, still told to gather information on the Doctor, still told to try and draw their enemy out. But Yaz found it increasingly harder and harder to stay with the church. She missed home. She missed her family. She missed her old life. She was tired of being a soldier in an endless war.

It was only after she tried to leave she found that out that the only true way to stop being a church member was through sacrifice. One she naturally refused, and soon found herself on the run from an organization that had helped her. She travelled randomly, spaceport to spaceport, trying to figure out how to get back home. Not that she could get back home, given that she was hundreds of years into her future. Everyone she knew was dead, and no one she'd come across seemed to have mastered time travel.

Odd jobs appeared here and there, mostly in the smuggling business. Yaz found it amusing that she was a cop now breaking the law... what would her commanding officer had said if he could have seen her now?

Without the medication the perception virus continue to dog her, making her virtually untraceable. Some species remembered her better than others, those who could build up an immunity to the pheromone. One species in particular stood out to her.

She never believed that she'd be working with the Stenza, but needs must, and she was getting desperate. The greatest hunters in the world had had dealings with the Doctor in the past, having weaponized the perception virus to make themselves invisible to the Time Lord. It was important that they found the Doctor at the right time, to stop any paradoxes from happening. But the Stenza were good at these sort of things.

She had to prove herself, of course. Earn their respect. But years in the church, and years more on the run, had made her an incredibly good hunter. She refused to slaughter anything she captured, baffling the Stenza to a degree, but they accepted her abilities nonetheless. They recognized talent when they saw it. She'd even managed to beat the King on a hunt on their own planet, forever earning their respect.

Respect no doubt now lost, given her betrayal, but all in service of the ultimate goal. The Doctor, in front of her, ready to take her back home. There was nothing she wasn't willing to do to achieve that from happening.

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The Doctor lowered her hands, a look of shock on her face.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, pain seeping into her voice.

"I've waited many years to hear you say that," said Yaz. "You think it'd mean something..."

"I didn't know," the Doctor said, sitting down and putting her head in her hands.

"You never do," sneered Yaz.

"I didn't mean to."

"Course you didn't. You're just some idiot with a box blundering through. You never think about the lives you hurt. You don't care."

"That's not true," said the Doctor angrily, getting up to confront Yaz.

"Did you tell my family what happened to me?"

The Doctor stood there, awkwardly.

"Do you ever tell the families? When you lose one of your companions, do you ever tell the family what happened? Or do you keep running away, not wanting to take that responsibility. You say you care about us Doctor, but you never even thought to look for me."

"That was because of the perception virus-" began the Doctor.

"Of course, the virus. Stupid of me thinking that you might have done something to stop you from leaving me behind. No, instead you were too busy showing off how smart you were."

"I'm sorry," repeated the Doctor.

"We're almost there," said Yaz. "You better buckle in, it's going to be a bit of a bumpy landing."

"Do you have a plan to get into the castle?" the Doctor asked, as she got her seat belt on.

"More or less," said Yaz, as they jumped out of hyperspace.

"You're not slowing down," the Doctor said, as she saw the castle getting worryingly closer.

"Don't need to," said Yaz, as she started to accelerate. "Hold on!"

The Doctor shut her eyes as the spacecraft smashed into the castle. A fireball erupted from the wreckage, debris scattering everywhere, as it became incredibly clear that there was no way anyone in the spaceship could have survived.


	35. Fugitive of the Stenza - Episode Five

Doctor Who

Fugitive of the Stenza

Episode Five

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"Instant teleportation," the Doctor said, as she shakily got to her feet. "Bypass the shields, and has the added bonus of not getting us killed. Very clever."

"This way," said Yaz, pulling out a strange device and taking off. "We need to find Graham and Ryan."

"Do you have any idea where they'd be?" asked the Doctor, as they ran down the corridor.

"Well they won't be in their prison cell," Yaz said. "They'd have been set free to be hunted. Lets just hope they haven't left the castle."

"I see your scanning for life signs that match your own," said the Doctor.

"They should be the warmest things in this building," said Yaz. "Come on, this way."

"Did you know they'd be hunted?" the Doctor asked.

"I suspected as much. I'm gambling that the two of them are smart enough to keep themselves safe."

"That's highly irresponsible," the Doctor said angrily.

"You are literally the last person in the world to lecture me," Yaz replied, before grabbing the Doctor and shoving her into an alcove. A platoon of Stenza guards ran past them towards the explosion.

"Come on," she muttered, going in the opposite direction of the guards.

"You better hope the two are okay," the Doctor said. "For your own sake."

"Don't threaten me Doctor. We both know that you wouldn't live to regret it."

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"What the hell was that?" Graham asked, as the ground finally stopped shaking.

"Sounded like an explosion," said Ryan, starting to move towards it, only to be stopped by Graham.

"No, that's where they're all going to be going," said Graham. "Let's go the other way, buy the Doctor some more time."

Ryan nodded and let Graham lead the way. So far they managed to survive being hunted by the Stenza, though they had quite a few close calls. Fortunately months of travelling with the Doctor had turned them into masters of avoiding monsters. Ryan's Metal Gear Solid playing had helped as well, at least according to them.

"Ryan!" yelled a familiar voice. "Graham!" Both men turned to see the Doctor standing with a strange woman.

"Doc!" Graham cried out excitedly, running over to hug the Doctor. Ryan quickly followed, relief plastered all over his face. The woman with them looked at the two with a mixture of disappointment and disgust.

"This is Yaz," the Doctor said, when they got untangled. "She's... here to help."

"We need to get back to the TARDIS," Yaz said, turning to the two men. "The Doctor should have reinstalled the tracker app back on your phone."

"Hold up," said Graham. "How do you know-"

"Later Graham," said the Doctor. "We need to get out of here."

"This way then," said Ryan, who had already gotten his phone out. The four of them quickly took off down another corridor, unaware that someone in the shadows was watching them go.

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"It's through those doors," the Doctor said, as they found themselves back in the throne room she'd been in not just several hours ago.

"Then lets get a move on," Graham replied, only for Stenza guards to seemingly materialize from the walls around them. Hidden doors swung shut, blocking any hope for exit.

"I must say, I am impressed," the King said, appearing behind the quartet. "I wasn't expecting you to get back here so quickly. Also your friends did a somewhat admirable job of evading my guards. They were found almost immediately, yes, but they did let them have a merry chase."

"You're saying you could have caught us at any time?" said Ryan, slightly defeated.

"With ease," said the King. "But once I came to I quickly made sure they let you live. Besides, who doesn't like to have a bit of fun from time to time."

"Let us go," the Doctor said threateningly.

"Oh Doctor," said the King with a cruel smile. "I have you, your TARDIS, your friends, and one of my greatest rivals all in the same place. You think I'm just going to let you waltz away?"

"How did you disable the Doctor's scrambler," asked Yaz, as she eyed down the King.

"You mean this thing?" the King asked, holding it up for everyone to see. "You didn't think that I didn't see this, did you? My ship's security is far better than that."

"Well played," the Doctor said. "Can I have it back?"

"I think not," the King said, tossing it in his hand. "It'll make a nice trophy, next to your head."

"I was afraid you were going to say that," the Doctor said, before whipping out her sonic screwdriver and pointing it at the sphere. It suddenly crackled with electricity, enveloping the King in its glow.

"Come on!" the Doctor said urgently, bundling her companions out of the big doors and quickly into the TARDIS, as the Stenza guards around them froze with indecision between stopping their prey and helping their king. By the time they had decided the TARDIS was already dematerializing.

"What was that?" Graham asked, as the Doctor set the TARDIS into flight.

"Dalek ball," the Doctor said. "You know those ball things they have on their body? Each one is a mine of sorts. Swiped it when the King wasn't looking, was hoping he'd have it on his person."

"You knew he'd discover it?" Yaz said in surprise.

"Well it was sitting out in the open," the Doctor said. "I was going to use it back on Cissism, but you beat me to the punch."

"So we're going home?" asked Ryan.

"Once I disable their tractor beam," said the Doctor. "Don't want them able to catch up with me."

"It's far too late for that Doctor," said a familiar voice. The four of them turned to see the Stenza King standing in the TARDIS door.

"How did you-" began the Doctor.

"Simple teleportation trick," the King answered. "You had to disengage your shields to escape our clutches, and I used that moment to beam aboard. Exactly like you did."

"Fair enough," the Doctor said. "What do you want?"

"You, of course," the King said, pulling out his gun before any of them could react. "I grow tired of this charade Doctor. You may have escaped me and my predecessors in the past, but it ends here."

"That's what you think," said Yaz, suddenly pulling a gun out of her own. The King turned to cover her and tried to fire to get the jump on Yaz, only to find his gun wasn't working. Yaz's wasn't either, much to her disdain.

"State of temporal grace," the Doctor said. "Finally managed to turn it back on. Guns aren't going to work in here."

"Excellent," said the King, holstering his gun and pulling out his knife. "I can do this personally. Tell me, Doctor, how many times must you kill a Time Lord until they're dead?"

"Ryan, Graham, Yaz, get out of here."

"But-" her companions began.

"Go. Get deeper into the TARDIS. She'll protect you."

"We're not leaving you Doctor," began Graham, before he was cut off by a bright light. Within an instance he found himself in a completely different console room with Ryan. They looked at each other and, without hesitation, bolted out of it to try and find the Doctor.

Meanwhile the Doctor and Yaz stared down the King, the Doctor slyly glancing at Yaz.

"It didn't occur to you I'd have a teleportation blocker?" Yaz asked.

"This ends here," snarled the King, as he made a lunge forward. The two women darted away, before Yaz pulled out a knife of her own and tried to get on the offensive. Her attempt to stab the Stenza King in the back was blocked by his sudden turn, before she found herself thrown to the floor.

"No!" cried the Doctor, as the King turned on her. It was a mistake, however, as Yaz used the opportunity to throw a knife into his back. He stopped, grimacing slightly, but his thick armour prevented the worst of it.

Yaz was already on her feet, another knife drawn, staring the King down. The Doctor, meanwhile, suddenly leapt at the control, pressing buttons and pulling levers like crazy. The King and Yaz fought, the King's strength being countered with Yaz's nimbleness. The knives bounced off each other, both fighters getting in only glancing blows.

The TARDIS suddenly tilted violently, as the two main doors blasted open. A wall of water stood behind them, the forcefield shimmering as it tried to hold it all back.

"I've sealed the rest of the TARDIS," the Doctor said. "If I release that forcefield it's only going to affect us. We're at the bottom of the ocean, and the water flooding in here will no doubt drag us all out."

"You'd kill yourself in the process," sneered the King, as he and Yaz slowly circled each other.

"I'm a good swimmer," the Doctor said. "Now, you can put the knife down and let me take you back, or I force you out."

"And what about your companions?" the King asked.

"They'll be safe in the TARDIS. Eventually it'll automatically send itself home."

"And as for the one standing in front of me?" The Doctor paused, hesitating for a moment. The King laughed at her weakness.

"You talk a big game," sneered the King. "But you couldn't sacrifice an innocent life."

"No," said Yaz. "But I could." She suddenly dived at the console, pulling a lever. The shield shuddered, water starting to gush in. It came in and out in spurts, like a dam moments before collapse. Within moments the entire console room was flooded in ankle-depth water, with it rising fast.

"What did you do?" the Doctor said angrily, as she tried to get the shield back under control.

"You showed me how to lower the shields once," Yaz said. "I knew it'd come in handy one day."

The water continued to flow in, the shield flickering on and off, as if huge buckets of water were being splashed inside the room. Already the water had reached knee height, as the Doctor desperately tried to get her ship under control.

"What's it going to be?" Yaz asked the King, hand still on the shield release lever. "You going to leave, or are we going to have to force you to?"

The King growled at them as the water continued to rise. The Doctor seemed to ignore the two of them, focusing on the problem at hand.

"If the water keeps rising it'll short out the whole TARDIS," the Doctor said. "Then we'll have no way of getting out of here."

"I thought you said you'd be fine," said Yaz urgently.

"It's called a bluff," the Doctor replied angrily. "One I didn't expect you to pull."

The King said nothing, staring at the two women as the water rose up to their waist. The shields are buckling under the pressure now, as if it was a wall with thousands of holes punched into it, little bits of water dripping in. They didn't have long until they were all submerged.

Casually the King pressed a button on his collar, a helmet unfolding from it and covering his entire face. He laughed at the Doctor and Yaz, knowing full-well that he was okay no matter what happened.

"I should have seen that coming," the Doctor said in annoyance, as she tried to push Yaz away from the shield lever. Yaz, however, pushed back.

"There's only one thing to do," Yaz said, as she started to press a few buttons on the console. The Doctor saw what she was doing, suddenly going wide-eyed as she tried to make her way over to stop the woman. The shoulder-height water made it hard though, especially as the TARDIS started to jostle.

"Don't!" cried the Doctor, as the water started to flow above her head. The familiar dematerialization sound of the TARDIS sounded muffled by the water, as the central column was engulfed by water. The Doctor looked around frantically at the scene. The King, yet to realize what was happening, was happily floating in the water. The stranger, Yaz, was floating next to the console, breath held, as she continued punching in the sequence. The Doctor, knowing what was about to happen, desperately grabbed onto the handrail of the staircase next to her.

Everything happened within an instance. The water rushed out of the open doors and into the time vortex, grabbing the unaware King in its grip. He threw out a hand and managed to catch the door as the water rushed past him and outside the console room.

Yaz, meanwhile, held onto the TARDIS, having tied herself to it as the water rose. But her belt strained at the effort, as she continued to press buttons.

The Doctor held onto the bannister, hands wet and slippery, as she felt the TARDIS tumble around the vortex. Winds of time swept into the console room, destroying all that was in its path. The TARDIS dropped out a cream custard, the biscuit quickly decaying into dust, to show what was happening. Not that the Doctor needed help.

The King was the one most affected by it. Wrinkles appeared on his face as his grip on the door got weaker and weaker. His armour rusted and started to peel off him, disappearing into the void. His once mighty legs started to shrivel before his very eyes, before being whipped out underneath him.

The TARDIS screamed at the Doctor, and the Doctor screamed back as her grip started to slip. She turned to Yaz, shielded from the worst of the effects by the grace of the TARDIS, but it was clear that the TARDIS could only protect her for so long.

The Doctor let go of one hand and pulled out her sonic screwdriver. There was one chance, a slim one, but one where her friends walked out of this alive. She locked eyes with Yaz, who nodded after hearing the plan telepathically implanted into her mind. The Doctor turned back and looked at the King.

Time seemed to slow as the Doctor let go of the handrail, her body gracefully flying through the air. She flew towards the door feet-first, aimed directly at the King. She connected with him, the shock being enough to throw him clear of the TARDIS. As the Doctor felt herself slip away she twisted, pointing the sonic screwdriver back to her ship. The TARDIS doors slammed shut, disappearing into a different part of the void.

The Doctor spun back round to see the King, a deformed monstrosity of different ages tumbling helplessly into the void. It wouldn't be long before the time winds ripped his body apart, scattering him to the furtherest corners of the time stream.

It wouldn't be long before the same happened to the Doctor. Her Time Lord body gave her some protections, but eventually she would drown in this like any other being, her very essence torn apart. No one could help her, no one could come save her, because she wasn't anywhere or anywhere. She was everywhere and nowhere. She was at the beginning and end of the universe and all points in between.

The Doctor let herself smile at the thought that she was going to visit everything as her last act. Becoming one with time... there was perhaps no better way for a Time Lord to go? Aside from the agony that was currently happening, and would continue to happen. If she was to go, then there were worst ways.

"Hello father," said... well not so much said as existed a voice. The Doctor looked around for it, trying to find a source. That voice could only be one thing. Something she had been running from for several life times. Her one way of escaping if she chose to take it.

"I can save you father," said the Timeless Child all around her. "If you want me to. I can save you father. All you have to do is set me free."


	36. Carol of the Doctor - Episode One

In the middle of nowhere, in the middle of no-when, there was a Time Lady floating around. The winds of the time vortex flowed around her, rushing over her body and slowly tearing it apart on an atomic level. There was no hope of regenerating from damage this bad, which would be a mercy more than anything else. The Doctor had... well, the concept of how much time she had left was a bit of a misnomer, as she had all the time in the universe around her, but from a more personal perspective she didn't have long.

She hoped that the stranger, that Yaz woman, managed to get Graham and Ryan home safely. She seemed to know how to fly the TARDIS, and she trusted the old girl to get the three of them back either way before leaving again. The Doctor wondered what would happen to her TARDIS... probably slowly fade away into nothingness, disintegrating into the time vortex along with her.

It was when all hope was no doubt lost that the voice appeared, a voice she had hoped to have never hear again, but one that she couldn't deny the existence of. The voice had made her a deal, salvation from an agonizing death for its own freedom. Pain had overwhelmed the Doctor, suffering the likes she'd never felt before, and all she had going for her was an arrogance that she would manage to sort the situation out at some point after surviving this.

So she said yes, letting the Timeless Child pull her free of the time vortex, the being entirely unaffected by everything going on around it. But by making that connection it was now free to wreck havoc upon the universe, end it if it so desired.

The Timeless Child was free. The cage had been open. The others were no doubt escaping as well. There was no hope for the universe at this point. There was no way of planning. Chaos reigned consumed everything in its path. Within a matter of moments the universe, and everything in it, was gone for good. There was nothing left. The end.

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Doctor Who

Carol of the Doctor

Episode One

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The Doctor lay on the ground, eyes closed, trying to work out what had just happened. One moment she was being ripped apart in the time vortex, the next moment...

Her first thought was to start with the senses. That seemed like the best place to start, at any rate. Start with the basic five, move onto the other seventy-two later on. What did she feel?

She felt dirt. Ground. An alien soil, but one that was slightly familiar. Yes, smell also indicated that she was only a planet. Breathable atmosphere as well, that was good, she could start breathing again. So she felt the ground on her back, smelt the dirt in her nose. Taste... that one might have to wait a little bit, what about sound? There was some faint rumblings, though they sounded like they were getting closer.

Oh, of course, sight! One of the more useful senses, it was definitely in her top twenty. Painfully she opened up her eyes to see the night sky above her. Three moons, definitely something a bit more unique, almost certainly probably not Earth. Hopefully not Earth. Earth wasn't suppose to have three moons at any point, was it? Five, yes, when the creature ended up having quintuplets.

Focus, that was the key. Here and now. Whatever the 'here' and 'now' were in this instance. Only way to find out more was to start to move.

Painfully the Doctor sat up, brushing the dusty soil off her coat. She glanced round, briefly wondering if she ended up in some sort of quarry. Wouldn't be the first time she thought she'd landed on an alien planet only to end up in some British quarry. No, wait, three moons, that proved otherwise.

Wincing she got to her feet, her head still spinning. Bright side, she wasn't dead... or she was, and the afterlife was wildly misinterpreted by millennia of humans. No, probably not dead, stick with happy thoughts for the moment. Be positive.

"Hello there," said the voice. It was a familiar voice. It was her voice, more or less. Not the same voice she used at the exact moment, mind you, and younger than the last time she'd heard it on that fateful day.

The Doctor slowly turned to see a man she'd only recently accepted was fit to call himself the Doctor staring back at her. She'd call him Granddad, but he wasn't that old yet. No, he still had some hope in his eyes, despite everything that happened. That could only mean one thing.

"I'm the Doctor," said the man, holding out a hand. Yes, clearly before it really went down. Freshly regenerated, by the guess of it. Been fighting for a few centuries, but had had enough wins to feel comfortable feeling like he could save everyone. How naive of him.

"And you are?" he asked, as he continued to hold out the hand.

"Rose," said the Doctor without thinking about it, shaking his hand.

"What are you doing out here?" the other man asked, the Doctor of War despite everything he tried to do.

"I got separated from my ship," the Doctor said, somewhat truthfully. "Need to figure out how to get back."

"I'm sure we'll find a way of getting you back there," the War Doctor said cheerfully.

"I think you might find it harder than you plan," the Doctor said slowly. "It's a time machine."

The War Doctor let out a hearty chuckle, unnerving the Doctor somewhat. There was only one time her past self was this happy, and that was when he thought he was moments away from ending the conflict.

"I don't think that'll be much of a problem," he replied. "Come here child."

A child in Time Lord robes appeared from behind a rock and joined them. The child looked normal enough, except... the eyes. The eyes were infinite.

"Say hello to the Timeless Child," the War Doctor said. "Say hello to my one and only child. Together we can get you home."

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"Where's the Doctor?" Graham asked, as he entered the console room with Ryan. He glanced down at the wet floor in confusion, the water seeping into his old shoes.

"She's..." began Yaz, uncoupling herself from the TARDIS console.

"She's not here, is she," Ryan said sadly.

"What do you mean?" Graham asked.

"The Doctor sacrificed herself to save you two," Yaz said. "She told me as such via a telepathic message. I can take you two home."

"But we have to save the Doctor!" Graham said angrily.

"I know," Yaz said. "And I will do that when I fulfil her request. She told me how to pilot the TARDIS. I drop you off on Sheffield, then I'll try to find her."

"We can't just let you take the TARDIS," Ryan said angrily. "For all we know you threw her out of the TARDIS!."

"If only there was a way for you to believe me," said Yaz bitterly.

"I think I might be able to help," said a strange voice. The three of them whipped round to see a child standing by the TARDIS doors. It was a normal looking child, except... the eyes. The eyes were nightmarish.

"Who are you?" Graham asked, wondering if this child had any connection with the Paradox child.

"I'm called the Nightmare Child," the child said, grinning mischievously. "One of the Children of Gallifrey. I'm not surprised you've ever heard of me. I'm something of a legend now."

"What do you want?" Yaz asked, reaching for her knife. The child smirked, the knife suddenly turning into a snake. Yaz shrieked and dropped it, the snake clattering back into a knife.

"I want what all children want," the child said. "Something to play with. And you three... you have so many hopes and dreams. You will be perfect for me."

"What do you mean?" Ryan said cautiously.

"Of course why settle for just three of you," the child said with a nasty grin. "There's a whole planet of nightmares I can feast upon."

"Don't you dare," began Yaz, only to find herself suddenly frozen. The child walked over to the console, putting its hands through it. The entire console room turned a harsh shade of purple, the TARDIS screaming out in agony as the entire ship shook and spun.

"Next stop Earth," the child said with a nasty grin. "Oh this is going to be so much fun. Tell the Doctor I say thank you, by the way. Thanks to her this entire universe is now my siblings playground. And we're never going to be locked up again."


	37. Carol of the Doctor - Episode Two

Doctor Who

Carol of the Doctor

Episode Two

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The Doctor glanced around at her previous' self console room. It was very bare bones, somewhat nostalgic in how basic it was, but nevertheless very recognizable. She made sure to put the console between herself and the child, keeping half an eye on it. Her previous self didn't seem to have any concern.

"So you were thrown into the time stream you say?" the War Doctor asked. "And my child saved you? Well I always knew they were a hero."

"Something like that," the Doctor admitted, making sure to only have one heart beating in the hopes of fooling her past self into thinking she was a human. It was painful, but it was better than mucking up the timeline.

"Well lets see... Oh, you're from Earth?"

"Yes, that's where I'm from. Twenty-twenty, from memory."

"I'll let the child direct us then."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"You kidding? My child can pilot this old girl better than I ever could. Go on my child."

The child nodded and touched the console. The entire ship shuddered, before it landed. The Doctor cautiously went to the main door, only to remember her previous self forgot to install the update that allowed the outer doors match the inner ones. The War Doctor chuckled and pulled a lever, the doors opening in front of her. Cautiously the Doctor exited.

It was quiet. Far too quiet, given that she was in the middle of London. A quick glance at a handily placed newspaper in a rubbish bin pegged the date as the twenty-eighth of March, twenty-twenty. A quiet night, but not this quiet.

"What time is it?" the Doctor asked cautiously.

"Oh about one thirty am," the War Doctor said, as he exited his TARDIS, child in tow.

"Something has gone horribly wrong then," the Doctor said servilely.

"What do you mean?"

"March twenty-ninth is daylight savings. The clocks jump from one am to two am. One thirty am can't exist."

"Really? Must be two-thirty am."

"That's a lie and you know it." The Doctor wheeled around, staring down her previous self and the child. "We've entered a non-existent hour. That shouldn't be possible according to all laws of time. The child brought us here for some reason. I want to know why."

"Well you see-" began the War Doctor.

"Shut it," the Doctor said. "You're not really me. The real me was never like this, even at the best of time. Tell me, Child, what is this?"

"My memory," the child said. "It's how I like to remember you."

"What do you mean?" began the War Doctor, before he disappeared into dust. The Doctor stood over the child angrily, fists clenched.

"You did let me go free, after all," the child said. "When you were suppose to kill me. I thought that meant you loved me."

"I couldn't love anything like you," the Doctor growled. "You're a monster."

"I'm a child. Aren't all children monsters?"

"You know what you did."

"Shall we relive it then?" said the child. The Doctor was about to respond, but the world around her suddenly shook violently. She looked around in panic, seeing various London's seemingly crash into each other. From the birthplace of the city, to its final days, it was becoming a twisted mess of time.

"Stop it," the Doctor said in horror.

"This is what you used me for," the child said. "You used me against your enemies. You used me to destroy them."

"I had no choice," the Doctor said.  
"Didn't you?" the child asked, nodding behind her. The Doctor turned to see herself standing down the end of the street, back to her. Her previous self, the Doctor of War, but the real one this time. Standing next to the child, both in front of an onslaught of Daleks.

The Doctor recognized this moment. It was when the Daleks had breached their inner sanctum, their lost hour of time, one of the last safe houses of the war. They stormed in, blasting at everything in their path. It seemed improbable that the shots were missing.

The child, or at least the version with the Doctor's previous self, looked up at its father. The Doctor nodded, pointing at the locket around his neck, and then to various Daleks. The child looked at them, its eyes glowing.

Some Daleks aged into dust into moments. Others reverted backwards in evolution, becoming their human ancestors from long ago, crushed within a Dalek casing that no longer fit them. Some Daleks had memories of a long forgotten past brought crashing back into them, from another life, and screamed in unending horror. They were the lucky ones.

As Daleks blipped out of existence, or turned on one another, or found their entire way of life too horrific to bear, the War Doctor stood emotionless. One hundred thousand Daleks, reduced to nothing in a matter of moments. The child's eyes continued to glow golden, more and more energy spilling forth. The very ground around the Daleks turned on them, plants smothering them and buildings toppling upon them. Animals from different ages came forth and attacked in terror and confusion. Soldiers and battalions lost to history suddenly appeared, engaging with this new enemy that had appeared before them.

Above them the Dalek ships, a war fleet unrivalled by anything else in this universe, found themselves out of control. Several of them crashed into the ground, the explosions sending shrapnel whipping past the War Doctor and his child. The Doctor shielded her face from the flames, as she watched her past self work.

And then it was over. There was nothing but a large swath of empty fields, the past and future versions of London mixed together. It was as if nothing ever happened. The Daleks on the ground, the Daleks on the ships, a force that alone could destroy the universe if need be... gone forever.

"Why are you showing me this?" the Doctor asked angrily.

"Who are you?" asked the War Doctor, turning round and seeing the Doctor for the first time.

"I'm you," said the Doctor, not bothering with the pretence any more. "I'm you from the future."

"I have a future?" the War Doctor asked in shock.

"Not if you hang around with that thing," the Doctor said, as the two Timeless Children looked at each other, before merging into one being. "Why am I here?" she continued, addressing the child.

"To show you the truth," the Child said. "To show you who you are."

"I'm not that man any more," the Doctor replied angrily.

"And yet you want to do to me the same thing he did. You want to lock me back into the cage."

"You can't exist in this universe. Your very existence threatens to destroy it. You and your siblings."

"Kill me then," the child said simply. "Oh, but of course, you can't. You kill me, and you kill yourself. And you never wanted to do that, did you."

"I thought this was more humane," the Doctor said desperately.

"What is going on?" asked the War Doctor, gruffly.

"Why don't I show you?" the Timeless Child asked. Suddenly the world around them shifted. The younger War Doctor disappeared, replaced by an older War Doctor standing next to a portal.

"This is the day you got rid of me," the child said, gesturing to the Doctor's previous self. The Doctor held in his hand a series of lockets, a group of children standing in front of him. The War Doctor looked at each of them in turn, trying to stare at what were their eyes. Five children, one for each finger that was the gauntlet of Rassilon. Four of their parents had already been slain, the Doctor taking on the burden in an attempt to protect the children. It was a fool's hope, and now he had no choice. By orders of Rassilon, and for the safety of the universe.

With a regretful glance at them he threw their lockets into the portal to the prison outside the universe. The children started to drift away into the portal, like sand drifts into the sea after a wave. The War Doctor watched them slowly disappear, tears welling in his eyes.

The Nowhere Child seemed to accept their fate, standing stoically still as it drifted into the portal.

The Nightmare Child put a fight, screaming and shouting in a tantrum, desperately reaching out to grab its father as it slowly disappeared.

The Paradox Child just giggled, clearly on a joke that only it knew. There didn't seem to be any fear or worry in what he was doing, just a laughter of someone who knew something no one else did.

The Soulless Child sobbed and bawled, wiping its tears away on its sleeves, as the tears slowly disappeared.

The Timeless Child just stood still, looking at its father with a mixture of sadness and contempt. The War Doctor kept his eyes on the child, trying to convey the pain this was giving him. Eventually the final child disappeared into the portal, the War Doctor turning the machine off afterwards in disgust with himself.

"Spirit, show me no more," quoted the Doctor. "Why do you delight in torturing me?"

"To show that all that happens from now is your fault," said the Child.

"By taking me down a trip of memory lane? I remember what I did. I know exactly what happened. I had no choice. I never wanted this!"

"Do you really think that?" the Timeless Child replied. "Do you want me to show you what you'd be like if you'd never met me?"

"What-" began the Doctor, before everything around them changed again. This time they were in Sheffield, near Graham's house.

"Okay fam," said an eerily familiar voice. "Lets go on an adventure!" The Doctor saw the front door open, seeing three familiar faces and one unusual one leave the house. They made their way down the step, before stopping dead in their tracks.

"Doctor?" Ryan asked in confusion, glancing between the Doctor in front of him and the Doctor next to him.

"Oh this isn't good," the Doctor said. "Who are you?"

"I'm you," the Doctor replied. "The Timeless Child brought me here-"

"That's not possible," the Doctor said, cutting off her other self.

"Why?"

"Because the Timeless Child... is me."


	38. Carol of the Doctor - Episode Three

Doctor Who

Carol of the Doctor

Episode Three

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"This is clearly some sort of fabrication," the Doctor said, somewhat unimpressed by everything that was happening in front of her. "There's no way you can be the Timeless Child and you know it."

"But I am," said her doppelgänger. "The Master showed me in the Matrix-"

"The Master?" the Doctor said in shock.

"Hang on a moment," said her doppelgänger, taking out her sonic and scanning the Doctor. The Doctor couldn't help but cringe at the over-elaborate arm swings her other self was doing, surely she didn't look that daft now, did she? Her doppelgänger glanced at the readings, her brow furrowed.

"This isn't possible," the doppelgänger said. "You're the exact same age as me."

"Come again?" said Graham.

"She," the other Doctor said, pointing to the Doctor in front of her, "isn't from my past or my future. She and I are the exact same age, down to the microsecond. But that shouldn't be possible. One of us should be at least a little bit older or younger."

"I don't understand," began Ryan.

"Remember the time you accidentally bumped into your future self? It was a few hours in the future, yes, but you were two distinct individuals due to having different chronological ages. But this... this shouldn't be possible." The Doctor turned back from her companions to this strange Doctor in front of her. "Are you from another universe?"

"No?" the Doctor said in confusion. "Are you?"

"I'm confused," said the young woman, who looked like a far younger version of the woman the Doctor had met hours ago. Was it true that this Yaz woman had travelled with her? Or maybe she travelled with this other Doctor? "Doctor?" the young woman continued, both Doctors in a world of their own.

"Yes?" they said in unison, before glancing at each other in annoyance.

"Okay, this is just too confusing," said Ryan.

"'ere, I know," said Graham. "We'll call our Doctor 'Doctor A'. And you can be 'Doctor B'."

"Fine, whatever," snapped the Doctor, deciding that 'B' was just as good as anything else.

"Right, glad we got that sorted," said Doctor A. "So you must be from some alternate timeline? Parallel to this one, but diverged at a certain point. But to have you exist for so long would take incredibly power."

"The power of the Children," Doctor B mused.

"The who?" asked Doctor A.

"The Children of Gallifrey? The Timeless Child? The Nightmare Child? Paradox? You really have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

Doctor A shook her head in confusion. It suddenly occurred to Doctor B that they hadn't even acknowledged the Timeless Child standing next to her. Could they not see it?

"I'm the Timeless Child," Doctor A said slowly. "The Master showed me in the Matrix, like I said. I've lived many, many lives, being an operative for Gallifrey and having my mind wiped several times. In actuality I'm not even a Gallifreyan, I was found on the edge of a portal and experimented on due to my ability to regenerate. The Time Lords took that ability from me and used it to create their entire race."

"But that's not possible," Doctor B said. "The Timeless Child was a weapon of the Time War. Created to defeat the Daleks. You were there when it was created. You were its father."

"I find that very hard to believe," Doctor A scoffed. "Here, let me show you." She stepped forward and put a hand on her duplicates head. Images rushed into the Doctor's mind, strange adventures her copy had gone on. From seeing the Master on a plane, to an alternate version of her battling the Judoon, to the image of a small child in front of a giant portal. The Doctor stepped back, head swirling.

"That portal," Doctor B said. "That's what we used to trap the Children. That was their cage. Somehow they managed to come back through it and fundamentally change history."

"I'm sorry?" said Doctor A.

"No wonder all of this is just wrong," Doctor B said, ignoring her inferior copy. "No wonder everything that happened to you makes no sense. The Children have attacked my own timeline, changed me into something completely new and unrecognizable. You're not the Doctor, you're some strange inferior clone of me."

"Now come on," Graham said, as he and his two friends rushed to the Doctor's aid. Their Doctor waved her hand aside, walking over to the Doctor standing in front of her.

"Who are you to tell me that I don't matter," she said angrily. "As far as I'm concerned you're the abnormal one. I saw your history, same way that you saw mine."

"You let all the Time Lords die!"

"And you forgot Yaz. You abandoned her. You abandoned your fam."

"Yaz..." began Doctor B.

"Let me remind you," said Doctor A sourly, slamming into her duplicate every memory she had of Yaz. Doctor B stumbled back in confusion and shock, suddenly remembering that Yaz existed. Her Yaz, the Yaz from her timeline, the one she'd abandoned in the church by accident...

"You're not better than me," said Doctor A. "You think you're better, you act like you're better, but at least I stood by my friends. At least I tried to do the right thing. What about you? You seemed to just cause more heartache and destruction wherever you went. If I'm not the Doctor than you're not either."

The Doctor stared at her duplicate in shock. The woman in front of her... she was the Doctor, and yet, she wasn't. She was a version of her, a splinter off her timeline, someone who had lived a completely different year to her. She spun back round, facing the child standing beside her.

"Why are you showing me this?" hissed the Doctor, towering over the child.

"You wanted me to stop torturing you," the child said. "You wanted to see what you'd be like if me and my kind never existed. That is her, right there."

"But she thinks she's the Timeless Child, which is just... absurd. Complete and utter nonsense. What did you do?"

"It wasn't me. It would have been one of my siblings. Working together to get revenge on you. To radically alter who you are."

"Why?"

"To stop you. If you weren't the Doctor, if you were just a shallow replica of yourself, a hollow and unrecognizable shell, then you'd be unable to stop them."

"So you're showing me this... to have me help you stop them? But..."

The Doctor turned back and looked at her other self and her fam. They'd frozen during the argument, allowing the Doctor to look at them in greater detail. They seemed to be almost two-dimensional, lacking any and all depth.

"If my siblings run out of control this is what you're reduced to," the child said. "Nothing of any importance. Certainly unable to stop them."

"But why do you want to stop them? Surely you realize that I have to put you back in the cage as well?"

"I know that," the child said solemnly. "And I don't mind if I go back into the cage, as long as..."

"As long as what?" the Doctor asked cautiously.

"As long as you're with me," the child said. "If you come in with us, you can entertain us, take us on adventures, keep us happy. You stay with us, and we won't want to escape."

"You want me to trap myself in your universe?" the Doctor said in horror. "To be one of your playthings, forever trapped under your control? Are you crazy? I'll never do it."

"I'm afraid you'd say that," the child said sadly, tears welling up in its eyes. "But it's the only way of stopping them."

"No," the Doctor said defiantly. "I will stop your siblings. I will stop you. I will throw you back into the cage where you belong, and make sure you can never, ever get out again. I will make sure the universe is never threatened by your kind again. I'm the Doctor, and you are the monster. And I will never, ever give up."

The child looked up at its parent in fear, the same way any child looks up to a parent when their caregiver is displeased with them. But the child knew that it had to have its parent understand what was happening, why it was important, why it mattered.

"So be it," the child said sadly, and snapped its fingers once more.

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Once the lights around the Doctor faded she found herself back in her TARDIS. The same crystals poked up from the ground, a convenient thing to hang onto whenever things went wrong. The same central console hummed and purred. The Doctor put her hand on it, shocked that she'd ever be back there.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" said a female voice. The Doctor turned to see a woman storming angrily towards her. The Doctor leapt back in shock, ready to get her sonic out as a way of protecting herself, but paused. The TARDIS didn't seem to react to this woman, and the Doctor had learned a long time ago that it was always best to trust the old girl.

"Who are you?" the Doctor asked. "And what are you doing in my TARDIS?"

"I could ask you the same question," the woman replied, checking the instruments.

"Well I'm the Doctor," the Doctor said. "And this is my home. What you're doing here is beyond me."

"I'm Yaz," the woman said, much to the Doctor's confusion. "And this is my home. You're not welcome here."

"Did you say Yaz?" The woman in front of her looked nothing like the Yaz she'd met twice now, and it seemed too big of a coincidence to ignore. Then again whose to say there was only one Yaz in existence? The universe was a big place, after all. Or hopefully still was.

"You got a problem with that, Doctor," said Yaz, almost spitting the last word. Satisfied that the TARDIS was okay she walked back over to the armchair she had been sitting in, picking up her book. The Doctor cautiously wandered over, wondering where she found an original printing of H. G. Well's 'The Time Machine'.

"Is the Doctor nearby?" the Doctor asked curiously.

"There hasn't been a Doctor here for centuries," Yaz replied in discontent, picking up her cream custard biscuit and eating it while also flipping the page.

"Where is she? Or he? They? Pronouns have always been confusing, you lot love to use them."

"She disappeared a long time ago," Yaz said, still not looking at the Doctor, focusing solely on her book.

"Where did she go?"

"Dunno. One day she was here, next moment she wasn't. I've been here ever since, looking after the old girl. Only thing worth doing at this point."

"Well shouldn't we go look for the Doctor? I can't help but feel personally invested in their safety."

"Good luck with that," said Yaz, as she refused to look at her new arrival.

"You don't mind if I pilot the TARDIS then?" Yaz said nothing, which the Doctor took as the all-clear. She went over to the console, checking the various instruments.

"Hang on," the Doctor said in confusion. "Have we already landed?"

"You could say that," Yaz said back, still not paying attention.

"But it also says we're in flight..." The Doctor turned on the scanner, only to be faced with static. That was concerned above all else. The Doctor glanced back at the stranger in the armchair, then back to the controls. They said they'd landed, and the shields were on at full strength regardless...

"I'm just popping out," the Doctor said, waiting for any reaction that opening those doors would be a terminal mistake. There was none, so the Doctor shrugged and made her way to the doors, opening them to find...

There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. There wasn't even any black or white, cos that would have been something. There was just... the absence of anything and everything.

"Where are we?" the Doctor called back in confusion.

"On Earth," Yaz replied. "Sheffield, to be specific. Its exact co-ordinates."

The Doctor scowled, rummaging through her pockets and finding a yo yo. She let it fly forward, past the TARDIS shields, into the nothingness. As soon as it left the shields it disappeared. It ceased to exist. It never existed. The string fell down limply, cut off from the toy.

"This can't be Sheffield," the Doctor said. "This is... nothing."

"Correct," said Yaz, suddenly standing behind the Doctor. "That is nothing. That is what happens when the Children of Gallifrey get bored of the universe. That is what happens when their temper tantrum gets out of control. That is everything that survives of it."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I'm the one that let it happen. I'm the one that caused the end of the universe."

"But that would mean..." began the Doctor, before looking closely at Yaz, her face filled with horror.

"Hello Doctor," said Yaz. "Welcome to your future."


	39. Carol of the Doctor - Episode Four

Doctor Who

Carol of the Doctor

Episode Four

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"You're me?" the Doctor said in shock.

"Not any more," Yaz replied. "I was you, I was the Doctor, but now... You remember Yaz, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. Another me reminded me of her."

"Ah yes, I remember that moment. The moment where I thought I could take the children on by myself and, well..."

Yaz turned and went back to her seat. The Doctor took one last look at the nothingness, before letting the doors swing shut behind her.

"What happened?" the Doctor asked, standing in front of the person calling herself Yaz.

"The children won," 'Yaz' said. "They destroyed everything. It was a miracle I managed to get to the TARDIS in time... or a punishment. I spent millennia trying to fix it, to somehow restart the universe. Cost me almost the entire TARDIS. This console room is all that's left of the old girl. Remember the early days, when this was the only part of the TARDIS you felt comfortable investigating, and gave the impression to your companions that this was all the TARDIS was?" Yaz let out a laugh, a sort of manic shriek, before settling down again.

"You're telling me this is all that's left of the TARDIS?" the Doctor asked in concern.

"This is all that's left of the universe," Yaz countered. "Everything that is, was, will be, could be, could have been... This is it. This is all it can ever be. I tried to turn the shields off, of course, but the Children made sure I wouldn't be able to."

"How long have you been like this?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't remember," Yaz admitted. "I lost count of the bodies after the first six hundred."

The Doctor said nothing, looking at her other self in shock. What she was saying was impossible, it broke all the rules, and yet...

"You can thank the Timeless Child for that," Yaz said. "Made sure I'd have infinite regenerations. You'd be surprised how quickly the pain of it all goes away, given enough time. Not that that exists either."

The Doctor wanted to say something, but what? What could she possibly say in this situation.

"You have all this to look forward to," Yaz said unemotionally, not even bothering with the pretence of reading the book. "Don't worry Doctor, you won't be the Doctor for very long. Not after some of the things you do. Not after you ignore Graham and Ryan and try to do your own thing, thinking you're so much better than them. They pay the price for your hubris. But Yaz... now there's a name to remind you of what you did. Your greatest failure."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because this is the same thing I heard when I was in your shoes. I'm trying to avoid a paradox, the last three were excruciatingly painful and cost quite a lot of the TARDIS."

"You remember all this?"

"Vaguely. It becomes clearer the longer we stay together."

"That means this is becoming more and more of a fixed moment in time," the Doctor said, dashing forward to try and pilot the TARDIS.

"Where you going to go?" Yaz asked. "Gallifrey? Hopies? Hillscarian? You won't find anything different, I'll tell you that much for free."

"There must be a way of stopping this," the Doctor said desperately.

"It's already a fixed point of time," Yaz said sadly. "Because this is all that time is. This is all everything is."

"I can't just give up," the Doctor cried, pounding at the console.

"Oh there's the Doctor spirit I remember so well," said Yaz with a laugh. "It's amazing how long you stuck at it. But eventually you stop being a doctor, and you become Yaz instead."

"Oh shut up," snarled the Doctor, gripping the console. There must be a way out of this, surely? This wasn't her future, it can't be. This hell, being trapped in the TARDIS, wallowing in self-pity and despair. Giving up and giving in, this wasn't her. This could never be her.

And yet... this Yaz woman, she was her. That much was painfully clear. The Doctor could feel it on some level, something in her mind convincing her that this was the truth.

"You win," said the Doctor bitterly. "You win," she said again, turning her head up to the roof. "Alright? You win! I can't live like this! This can't be my future!"

"I told you as such," said the child, appearing by her side. The Doctor spun round to look at Yaz, only to find that the woman had disappeared. Spinning around some more showed that the entire TARDIS console had vanished as well. She was in the nothingness, with only her child by her side.

"I just need to know one thing," the Doctor said. "That future, that Doctor... Are these the shadows of the things that will be, or are they shadows of the things that may be only?"

"That depends on you, Doctor," the child said. "I can help you fight my siblings, I can help you capture them, but if you try to double-cross or trick me, if you try and avoid joining me..." The child spread his arms around the nothingness.

"Any attempt to thwart us leads to this. We over-power you in the battle, and by doing so we race across the universe unchecked. In an attempt to stop us you end up empowering us, in an attempt to destroy us you take the entire universe down as well. We only went through the portal first time because you tricked us, and we weren't as practice in our powers as we are now. We are now a part of this universe, as well as its destruction. We have to willingly choose to leave it, least you try to rip us from it."

"I understand," the Doctor said solemnly. "What's the plan?"

"You gather up the children," the child said. "You hold onto them and, when the portal opens up again, you jump into it. You seal yourself in there with us. We can create a heaven for you, as long as you keep us company."

The Doctor nodded, knowing that she didn't have much of a choice. The children were a cancer on the universe, and to try and remove them by force would damage the body of existence. No, she had to surgically remove them, and this appeared to be the only way.

"Are you ready Doctor?" the child asked.

The Doctor paused, looking around at the nothingness. Really was she worth more than the entire universe? She'd live a long life, far more than expected of a Time Lord. Out of all the ways to go, saving all of existence would be up there.

She had no idea how to stop the children. Just one was enough to eradicate her, and she was attempting to take on four of them at the same time? Even with the Timeless Child on her side the chances didn't look good. Children of unimaginable power, ready to fight her, to kick and scream and resist everything she did.

No weapons, no defences, no plan. Nothing but her mind and a screwdriver that made funny sounds. Herself against these universe ending monsters.

She couldn't help but let out a little smile. She was going to die, there was no doubt about it. But at least she was going to die as the Doctor.

"Let's do it," the Doctor said, as the child nodded. There was a flash of light, the first, last and only light in what was left of the universe. But one the Doctor took with her. The universe needed help, and the Doctor was in.


	40. The Children of Gallifrey - Episode One

Once upon a time, on a planet that had long become nothing more than a legend, there lived a group of children. Five ordinary children, connected only in that they were orphaned and unremarkable. Children chosen for the mission that lay ahead of them. They had no say, no way of stopping what was going to happen to them. Five children with the weight of the universe on their shoulders, and the parents who had bonded with them. Five children who were to put to stop the most devastating war that had ever existed in the universe. The hope of an entire race, and all the power that came with it.

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Doctor Who

The Children of Gallifrey

Episode One

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The Doctor stumbled a bit as she found herself aboard her TARDIS. It was definitely her ship, she could feel that much as certain. She clutched one of the crystals, trying to get her balance.

"Doctor?" asked a familiar voice. The Doctor spun round to see Graham and Ryan standing there in bewilderment.

"Oh yes," the Doctor said gratefully, hugging her two friends, before pulling back and staring at both of them. "Where's Yaz?"

"The Nightmare Child took her," Graham said. "She offered herself up to save us, so the child took her and left us alone."

"For the love of-" muttered the Doctor, but then again, that's who Yaz was when you got down to it. Always willing to risk her own life to help others.

"Okay, right," the Doctor said. "First thing's first. We need to find a way of stopping the children from having power over us."

Graham and Ryan looked at each other, wondering if they were going to get a lot and complicated explanation, but the Doctor seemed to just ignore them and disappear out of the console room. Before either of them could react she was back, holding a familiar cube in her hand.

"Isn't that the time box thingy that could stop time?" Graham asked in concern. The Doctor ignored him, taking the cube over to the console. A strange claw seemed to grow out of the console and take hold of the cube. More claws came out, each grabbing a corner of the box and pulling. It neatly split into four pieces, quickly being tied off with a piece of string. The Doctor grabbed the four dangling mini-cubes and handed one to Graham and Ryan in turn.

"This should stop the worst of the effects from reaching you," the Doctor said. "I don't know how much juice they have, but it should create a bubble of reality around us."

"That's good to know," Graham said. "What's your plan now?"

"I'm going to go look for the children," the Doctor said. "You're going to stay here in the TARDIS."

"Yeah right," Ryan said. "We're here to help you Doctor."

"You honestly have no idea what we're about to face, do you? We're about to enter into a second Time War, one that is quickly escalating unless I come up with some way of stopping it. Last thing I need to do is worry about you lot."

"The fact that you think you're going to get away leaving us behind worries us more," said Graham. "You know we're always here for you Doctor. Do you really want to spend all your effort trying to stop us?"

"But this is far beyond anything you've seen before," the Doctor replied.

"Doctor, everything we've seen with you is far beyond what we've seen before," countered Ryan. "And we've had plenty of time to decide that this life wasn't for us, and yet we're still here. Let us help you Doctor."

"But-" the Doctor said, somewhat hopelessly.

"We're coming with you and that's final," Graham said definitively. "Now lets hurry up and stop this Time War thingy from getting out of hand."

The Doctor looked like she was about to argue, but relented.

"I don't deserve you two," she said, flashing a warm smile at them. Graham and Ryan stole glances at each other and smiled in turn, as the pieces of cube around their neck faintly hummed and glowed.

"So where we going?" asked Ryan.

"I have a hunch where one of the children might be," the Doctor said. "I hope I'm wrong though."

"Why?" asked Graham.

"Because it'd further prove their escape was my fault," the Doctor replied grimly, hand gripping a lever. "This is your last chance. You don't have to-"

Neither man replied, just putting their hands on the lever. The Doctor looked at both of them and nodded.

"Next stop Hillscarian," she said, and threw the lever, sending her and her closest friends straight into the depths of Hell.

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"Doctor," began Ryan, but words failed him. There was little that he could say that would accurately describe what was happening before them.

"Hard to fight on a battlefield when it keeps changing," the Doctor said grimly. "Come on, we need to head for the eye of the storm. Stay close."

"You don't have to tell us twice," said Graham, as his foot left pavement and landed back down in mud, before his next foot landed in sand. He held up his hand to block out the four suns, only for him to lower it when they suddenly disappeared, replaced instead by an encroaching asteroid, which itself turned into a mountain of sparkles.

Slowly they crept forward as the landscape around them changed, hands held to try and stop themselves from losing each other. Ryan would say it was akin to having someone rapidly changing channels, as they moved from one environment to another, but even that was a poor explanation.

"What happened to the people?" Graham asked in concern, as a mighty city crumbled to dust within mere moments, before a jungle sprung up around them.

"If they're lucky they've been wiped out," the Doctor said, teeth gritted as pain seared across her body.

"And if they're not?" began Ryan, but he was cut off by a strange noise. All three travellers turned to see a large hulking lizard monster, its five heads dripping with green saliva as its three tails beat on the ground.

"Run!" the Doctor said urgently, pulling her two companions behind them, as the ground around them suddenly turned to a quagmire. The three of them desperately tried to wade through it, as the beast behind them pounced at them.

Graham and Ryan shut their eyes in fear, only to find themselves suddenly back on dry land. They turned to see that the horrifying lizard monster was now nothing more than a small feathered baby chick. It screamed for its mother as it continued to swivel its head around and around, far more rotations than a being should ever be able to do. Suddenly it exploded into a group of butterflies, taking to the sky.

"What-" began Ryan.

"Wasn't only the battlefield that constantly changed," the Doctor replied. "You'd be amazed how many different ways a species could have evolved if a different fish had been eaten instead."

"This is too weird," Ryan said.

"The fact that you're still able to mentally cope is commendable," the Doctor said. "Most humans who have had a glimpse of this went absolutely mad. That poor Lovecraft fellow only saw the briefest of glimpse of the Time War, and look what he ended up creating."

"Well we're here for you Doctor," Graham said. "How else do you think we're going to get through this."

"Thanks," the Doctor said, before sagging to her knees and letting out a gasp of pain.

"Doctor!" both her friends said in concern.

"I'm fine," the Doctor said, slowly getting back up, the mud on her pants already disappearing. "Being surrounded by this much paradox energy... it's like walking through lava."

"Well then lets find the source of it, aye?" said Ryan, throwing one of the Doctor's arms over his shoulders.

"Yeah, sooner we get this done, sooner we can get home," agreed Graham, taking the other arm and hoisting the Doctor up between himself and his grandson.

"Just keep going forward," the Doctor hissed, as she tried to suppress another gasp of pain. "I think the child wants to meet us."

"You got it Doc," said Graham, as the two of them continued forward through the nightmare around them, hoping against hope that they'd find a way through all this. But they had the Doctor. The Doctor had never let them down. She was always there to save the day.

It was just a matter of whether there'd be a day left to save.

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The parliamentary building, more castle than anything else, remained unchanged despite everything that was happening around it. As day and night flickered like a broken bulb, as temperatures rose and dropped like a yo yo, the castle stood ever impassive.

Graham looked at Ryan, who shrugged. The Doctor had fallen unconscious at some point, and with no other plan they'd just kept walking forward. Sure enough they'd eventually found the castle, though it felt more like it was coming closer to them than they to it.

With no other options Graham raised his hand and knocked on the door. There was a tense moment of silence, as the ground underneath them slid from solid to liquid to gas and back again. Then slowly, painfully, the door finally opened, allowing the three inside.

The inside of the building was... Graham and Ryan looked at each other at a loss for words. It was as if one had come in from an incredibly powerful storm, into a house that was warm and inviting.

"Right then," the Doctor said, suddenly waking up and throwing off her two friends. "That's better, doesn't that feel better? Anyway, we mustn't hang around."

"Welcome," said a familiar voice. The three of them looked up to see another version of the Doctor standing there, one wearing a black ensemble.

"Don't tell me we're going to go through this again," the Doctor said wearily. "Is this where you claim to be the Valeyard and I have to defend basic decency?"

"Oh no, none of that," said the other being, briefly flickering back into the form of a child. "I just thought I should try your body out for size, see what it's like."

"You're the Paradox Child," Ryan said.

"As observant as ever," the child said, switching to a copy of Ryan. "Lovely to meet you again."

"You have to stop this," the Doctor said.

"Do I?" the child replied, shifting back into a dark mirror of the Doctor. "What makes you think I caused it?"

"All that out there, that's your doing."

"That is a by-product of my existence, yes. But do you blame the wind for a hurricane? The ocean for a tsunami? I may be causing it, but I didn't create this in the first place."

"You're literally the Paradox Child," Graham countered. "All that out there looks like paradoxes to me."

"Only to your feeble mind," the child said, wearing Graham's body. "You don't know what real paradoxes look like. You can't truly comprehend the power that I wield."

"You have to stop this," the Doctor said, trying to get the child's attention, get the child distracted while she got to work activating the piece of cube around her neck. If she could just trap it in there...

"Don't you wonder what caused all this to happen?" the child asked suddenly. "Where all this began? What led to all of us getting free."

"That doesn't matter," lied the Doctor, as she kept her eyes on the child.

"Oh but I think it does," the child replied. "You're curious, I can tell. Why don't I show you why all of this exists."

Suddenly the room around them was gone. They were back in the TARDIS, watching themselves as the TARDIS shook around them.

"'ere, what's happening with the TARDIS Doc?" Graham asked, the other Graham, the one the Graham with the child was watching. They watched the other Graham hold his hands over his ears, the awful screeching getting louder.

"The TARDIS doesn't want to land," said the other Doctor, spread-eagled over the console so she could press six different buttons at once.

"I remember this," said Ryan, as he looked upon it. "This was when we were trying to land in Cardiff, where we found time had frozen."

"Can they see us?" Graham asked, as the past version of the Doctor continued to wrestle with the TARDIS.

"No, we can't be seen by them," the Doctor said. "But why are you showing us this?"

"Are you saying we're almost out of fuel?" asked Yaz, as Ryan and Graham looked at her with shock. Clearly they must have known her, and yet...

"Sort of," the past Doctor said, as the TARDIS continued to rattle and shake. The companions were torn between blocking their eyes and holding onto the TARDIS console.

"You weren't really out of fuel, were you Doctor," the child said. "You just didn't want to admit defeat, did you."

The Doctor said nothing, watching her past self ignore her companions fears and the warning from the TARDIS. She remembered what happened well. Everything was saying not to land there, and she was determined to do so solely because she hated being told what to do. The current Doctor looked at the fear on her companion faces, something she'd ignored when she was flying the TARDIS, feeling that whatever was happening was more important.

"This was the moment," the child said, as the past Doctor looked at her fam. The past Doctor nodded, pulling a lever with all her might. The TARDIS stopped rumbling, easing into a calm silence.

"Okay then, you win," the past Doctor said. "You don't want to land old girl, we won't land. We'll go somewhere else instead."

"What happened Doctor?" asked Yaz.

"The TARDIS was refusing to land in Cardiff in twenty-nineteen," the past Doctor replied. "Really doesn't want to go there for some reason. All of twenty-nineteen might be off-limits until I get it sorted."

"That's okay Doc," said the past version of Graham. "Everyone knows we're out travelling, it'll be fine."

"Thanks fam," the Doctor said. "Anyway, we can get rift energy later. Have I ever shown you the pink sapphire falls on the third moon of Sirius? Truly beautiful."

"Sounds great," the past Ryan said. The past Doctor looked at her fam, the companions she trusted the most, and pulled a different lever. With that the TARDIS and the previous occupants disappeared around them, leaving the Doctor, Ryan, Graham and the Child back where they started.

"What just happened?" Ryan asked, thoroughly confused.

"It was because of the Doctor's arrogance that the first crack in our prison was created," the child replied nastily. "Had the Doctor left well-enough alone then everything would have turned out fine. The Time Cube would have been collected by the Judoon in a few days and properly destroyed, with no collateral damage. Everything would have worked out if the Doctor had thought to put your safety above her own curiosity."

"Even so-" began Graham.

"How many times has the Doctor put you in danger?" the child asked. "Not just you. Your friends. Your family. The entire planet, hell, the entire universe. The Doctor claims to be a lord of time, and yet will happily break those rules whenever she see fits. Her actions across her lifetime were cracking the cage, but that moment... that was the final one we needed."

"You made your point," the Doctor said bitterly, as she continued to work with her cube.

"Oh, I don't think I have," the child said. "Aren't you curious about what happened to the other Doctor? The other Ryan, and Graham, and Yaz?"

The Doctor paused, not sure whether she wanted to comprehend what the child was saying to her.

"They kept going on, you know. They kept having adventures. Would you like to see them?"

Before any of them could say anything the world around them changed again to find themselves in a strange tunnel, watching themselves wipe away dust on a train station sign. Another moment passed, seeing the Doctor and a strange woman in a room that sort of looked like the TARDIS console. Another moment, now they saw the Doctor handing over a silver liquid metal to a half-human half-robot thing. Suddenly there were back to where they were suppose to be, even more confused.

"That Doctor, she's out there," the child said. "She's been going on adventures, same as you. Two Doctor's, of equal age, but totally different lives. Truly the most powerful paradox."

"I'm confused," Graham admitted.

"Our timeline got split into two," the Doctor said. "One version of us, they went off and had those adventures that you saw. The other version of us, us us, did everything we did."

"So which one of those is the real us?" Ryan asked in confusion. "Cos I feel pretty real."

"Oh you are," the child said. "One hundred percent real. And so is he. The other you. Both entirely real and valid people wandering the universe, doing different things. Your mere existence was paradoxical enough, let alone everything your group and the other group got up to."

"So there's two me's?" Ryan asked, still trying to wrap his head around it.

"Oh yes," the child said excitedly. "And you are just giving off the most wonderful paradox energy. You all are. It's like an all-you-can-eat buffet"

"Then I guess it's time we stop you," the Doctor said, suddenly holding her section of the cube out triumphantly!

There was an awkward pause as a whole lot of nothing happened. Graham and Ryan looked at the Doctor in confusion.

"Oh please," said the Paradox Child. "You think you could capture me in that prison of yours again? It hardly has enough power."

"Then I'll force you in," the Doctor replied, bringing up her sonic screwdriver.

"Let's say you do," the child countered. "Are you going to fit us all into there? That cube is connected to your essence, do you truly think you'll be able to hold all of us without losing control?"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," the Doctor said, preparing to turn the sonic on.

"Wait!" said Ryan. Everyone turned to look at him, but he only had eyes for the child.

"I don't know what's going on," he admitted. "But you could be captured inside this cube thing, yeah?" He lifted up his cube, holding it out in front of him.

"And this cube is tied to me, yeah?"

"Glad to see you're following along," the child said.

"And I'm full of paradox energy, yeah? Then why not get into my cube then? Why not feast off of me."

"Ryan no!" the Doctor said urgently.

"I mean look at me," Ryan said, ignoring the Doctor. "I'm a complete paradox. I have dyspraxia and yet I've climbed more ladders and ridden more bikes than I could possibly count. The world tells me to be one thing, and yet I continue to be another."

The child said nothing, looking at Ryan with curiosity.

"What am I if not a paradox?" Ryan asked. "A constant walking ball of contradictions? Surely that must give you something to feed off of."

"I see," the child said slowly. "You're saying I could feed off your paradoxical energy, to leech off of you, for as long as I like?"

"As long as you stop doing what it is you're doing to this planet," Ryan replied.

"Ryan, you can't," the Doctor said. "It's too dangerous."

"And it isn't when you do it?"

The Doctor couldn't think of a reply, instead turning to Graham, hoping to win him over to her side. Graham looked between his friend and his grandson.

"Will it hurt him?" Graham asked the child. "If you go into this prison thing?"

"He and I will be bonded," the child said. "He will have all my powers, but will still be in control. It will not hurt."

"What happens if the child does go into Ryan?" Graham asked the Doctor.

"Well it would contain the child," the Doctor replied. "It would keep the universe safe as we figure out what the next course of action is."

"It's me versus the entire universe," Ryan said. "There isn't a decision."

"You can't do this," the Doctor said desperately. "Tell him Graham."

Ryan looked at Graham, who stared back at his grandson. Slowly, eventually, he let out a nod.

"Ryan needs to make his own choices," Graham said. "I believe in him."

"But-" began the Doctor, but she couldn't find her voice. She tried to move, only to find her feet had sunk into the ground. Clearly the child wasn't going to let her get in the way.

"To feast off your energy," the child said, as he walked closer to Ryan.

"Promise you'll stop all of this," Ryan said. "Promise you won't hurt anyone."

"For your energy? Anything." The child stopped in front of Ryan, creating a mirror image of the young man.

"Do we have a deal?" it asked. Ryan took one last look at the Doctor and Graham, before grabbing the child's hand. There was a bright light, one that forced everyone to close their eyes.

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They were back in the TARDIS. The doors were open, revealing a peaceful city park. Birds sang, children played, there was the faint hum of cars rumbling by. Then the doors slammed shut, the only noise being the hum of the TARDIS.

"Ryan!" the Doctor said urgently, finally able to speak.

"I'm here," Ryan said, appearing from around the console, Graham next to him. The cube round his neck glowed a solid red, pulsating slightly.

"How do you feel?" the Doctor asked, rushing over to her friend.

"I feel... fine," Ryan said in confusion. "I can't believe that actually worked."

"So what's the plan, Doc?" Graham asked. "How do we get this thing out of my grandson."

"In theory it should be a simple matter of creating a portal to another bubble universe and sealing them shut in it," the Doctor said. "But in practice..."

"You might as well say it," Ryan said, as the pause stretched out.

"You'll have to be trapped in the bubble universe as well," the Doctor said. "Unable to ever come back. I'm sorry Ryan, but for the good of the universe, we're going to have to leave you behind... forever."


	41. The Children of Gallifrey - Episode Two

Doctor Who

The Children of Gallifrey

Episode Two

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"There must be another way Doc," Graham said. "There has to be. There always is."

"And if I had time I'd be able to find one," the Doctor replied. "But you've seen what one child can do. Their power is growing as we speak. We can't wait."

"So that's it? We're just going to throw my grandson into a bubble universe, to be forever alone with them?"

"No! Yes. I don't know Graham. It was suppose to be me. I was going to take all the children into me and exile myself."

"Well that's hardly any better now, is it?"

"What choice do I have Graham? Me versus the universe? There is no decision to be made."

"There's always another way Doc."

"Not this time. There is only one way to victory. Because this is what happens sometimes Graham. Sometimes I can't pull out some magical save out of thin air. Sometimes I can't save everyone. Sometimes I have to make a choice, a choice beyond your comprehension."

"Hey, what about me?" Ryan asked, putting himself between his two friends.

"I'm sorry Ryan-" began the Doctor.

"But I'm not," Ryan countered. "You said it yourself, these things are dangerous. These children are going to destroy the universe. If I need to be locked away in a bubble universe so be it. It's better than there being no universe at all for us to be in."

"But-"

"No buts. I made this choice Doctor. I can live with it. And we need to get a move on to stop the other children."

"Ryan," Graham said forlornly.

"When this is over," Ryan said, looking his grandfather in the eye. "Just tell my Dad... tell him I love him, okay?"

"Of course son," Graham said, giving Ryan a hug. The Doctor said nothing, as the guilt of her choices weighed on her. But there'd be time to mourn later, or no time at all.

"Right then," the Doctor said, looking back at the controls. "It appears that the next child is hiding in Hopies."

"Where's that?" Graham asked in confusion.

"A place I hoped I'd never go back to," the Doctor said grimly. "Hold on."

The TARDIS shuddered around them, as it took them to their next destination. Ryan and Graham looked at each other. Whatever happened, at least they were in it together.

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The city was in ruins. Very little remained of the one vibrant city. Instead it was nothing more than a rubble and destruction as far as the eye can see.

"What happened here?" Graham asked, as the three of them carefully made their way through what was once a building.

"A Dalek invasion," the Doctor said. "Don't worry, I sorted it out. I just... didn't want to come back here so soon."

"I didn't know the Daleks were this destructive," Ryan said with a shiver.

"The planet got off lightly, all things considered. Other planets... Anyway, child is this way."

"What can you tell us about the child?" Graham asked. "Why is everything so..." he waved his hands in the air for the word, finally settling on "consistent?"

"If I had to guess, it's the Soulless Child."

"The what?" asked Ryan.

"The Soulless Child. It was connected to the life of all living things thanks to the time vortex. It was life and death unified into one. A thousand million soldiers could be born and grown within a matter of seconds, and another thousand million killed without a second thought. It was genocide on a universal level. It wiped out quite a few things."

"Why didn't it wipe out the Daleks?" Graham asked.

"They quickly discovered a shield to it. No, it was used by its father as a way of getting rid of the Dalek's foot soldiers. Ogrons, Robomen, the slave armies-"

"The slave armies!" Ryan said in shock.

"The Daleks used their slaves as infantry. Well, more like bullet sponges. The Soulless' Child quick and painless death was more merciful."

"But that's immoral," said Graham.

"That's war," the Doctor replied grimly.

"So what stops this Soulless Child from killing us on the spot?"

"The cubes round our necks should protect us, for a time. I hope."

"And if they don't?" asked Ryan.

"We won't be around to know that we failed."

"That is correct, Doctor," said Graham, causing his friends to spin around in shock. It was Graham's voice but somehow not his voice. There was an echo to it, a slight delay.

"Get out of my friend," snarled the Doctor.

"He is the only one not protected," said the child. "My siblings are protecting you two. He is the only conduit I have."

"Don't you dare use my friends," the Doctor said angrily, stalking over to stare Graham in the eyes.

"Then come find me then," the child said. "Come play with me."

"Lead the way," said the Doctor sourly, knowing that she'd protect her friends if it was the last thing she ever did. But knowing the Soulless Child, it very well might be.

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"Hello?" Graham said, to the empty black void he found himself in. "Is anyone there."

"Hello Graham," said a highly familiar voice. Graham spun in shock to see Grace standing in front of him.

"You're not real," he said sadly, having been done this charade before.

"I could be real," said Grace. "I am, as the Doctor calls me, the Soulless Child. I can bring the dead back to life. I could give your Grace back to you."

"At what cost?"

"You look after me. You care for me. You love me."

Graham said nothing, looking at the love of his life. The child's offer was tempting, and would bring him great joy, but...

"Why do you want me to love you?" Graham asked suspiciously.

"I've never known it," said the child. "My parent, they... didn't treat me right. They saw me as something to be used, nothing more. And when they could they abandoned me as soon as things got bad."

"Abandoned you how?"

"By dying."

"I mean, it's not something they can really control..."

"But I can. I brought them back to life. I let them keep living. And yet all they did was hate me for it. They say death was painful, and living was harder."

"I can imagine it was quite traumatic for them though. Constantly dying and coming back... it would take a toll on anyone."

"So why did they take it out on me?"

Graham said nothing, at a loss of words. It was clear what was going on, and he'd seen it all before.

"I know what it's like when someone abandons their child."

"Do you?" said the child, carefully waiting on Graham's every word.

"Yeah, my grandson. His father wasn't there for him, and his mother... Well, I know what it does to someone."

"And what does it do to them, Graham?"

"Sometimes, it can make a person harsh. It can make them cruel. It can make them mean. But sometimes... it can make them kind. And caring. And loving. It makes them determined to help others who need help. It makes them want to do the right thing, despite what happened to them in life, because it's important to do it."

"And you have proof?"

"I have my grandson. That is all the proof I ever need. That boy took the pain of this world and yet refused to be consumed by it, instead becoming a great man, one of the best I've known in my life. He became a hero to so many... and a hero to me."

"You speak of him with such fondness," the child said sadly. "No one has ever treated me that way."

"We could always start now?" Graham asked, offering out his hand. He could see a child needed his help, and he wasn't going to let it down. That's what Grace would do, that's what the Doctor would do, that's what Ryan would do. That's what he'd do, consequences be damned. This child needed a parent, and Graham would do everything he could to achieve it.

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"I don't like this Doctor," Ryan said, as they made their way to the capitol building that seemed oddly familiar, as if Ryan had seen it in a dream. The garden around the building was filled with death, as the plants withered into dust. The stench of death filled the air, even if there were no bodies nearby.

"Neither do I," the Doctor replied, as she followed her possessed friend inside. Graham, or rather the child, hadn't said anything on their trip. The Doctor was quickly trying to work out a way of getting the monster out of her friend's body and trapping it.

"Why is this so familiar?" Ryan asked in confusion. "Have we been here before?"

"No," the Doctor replied quickly, before turning back to Graham, who had stopped in the middle of the room.

"Let my friend go," she said threateningly, as she tried to work out a way of stopping the child from killing them on the spot.

"He's my friend," the child said through Graham. "I don't think he'd want to be friends with you after I tell him what happened here. Neither of them would."

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked in confusion.

"Don't," the Doctor said, fear creeping into her voice.

"You wonder why this place is so familiar?" the child asked. "You wonder why you feel like you've been here before? Well you have. Let's help you remember."

The child waved his hand, causing Ryan to go prone. The Doctor turned and rushed over to Ryan, grabbing him by the shoulders.

"Don't listen to it!" the Doctor said urgently, trying to shake Ryan awake, but it was too late. Inside Ryan's head a movie was playing, one where he saw himself going through the strangest of actions. Befriending an older man and a young woman. Working with them to get into this building. Seeing the Daleks... the Daleks destroying this city. The desperate days attempting to survive, the things he and Graham and Yaz had to do. And the anger. The anger he had towards the Doctor, the woman who had betrayed him, let him down.

"What is this?" Ryan asked, as he came back to reality.

"What happened to this planet," the child replied. "The thing the Doctor wanted you to forget."

"Stop it," the Doctor said.

"The Doctor knew that this would cause you to leave her, and she couldn't bear to travel alone. So she took you to the Silence, to have your memories of the event wiped. It was there she lost Yaz, abandoning her to her fate. She hid the truth from you, because she was afraid of how you'd react."

"Doctor, is this true?"

"I need you guys," the Doctor said. "You wouldn't be able to live with yourself, I had to give you back your lives."

"It's true?"

"I mean yes, but I did it for your own good. How could you go back to your normal life after all that? You didn't realize how much pain you were in. I was trying to help."

"This isn't how you help someone," Graham said. The Doctor spun to see Graham seemingly back to normal, the form of a child standing next to him, holding his hand.

"Graham, let go of it."

"Why Doctor? It showed me the truth. It showed us how you treated us. Like we were just objects to entertain you"

"I did it for your own good."

"We don't grow if we don't remember our past," Ryan said. "It's the past that makes us who we are. It teaches us, allows us to get better. To deny us that is to deny our right to become someone greater."

"You're right," the Doctor said sadly. "You're right. I'm sorry, I... panicked. I can't keep losing people. I've lost so many people in my life. Friends, family, loved ones. I just... I couldn't lose any more."

There was a silence as everyone processed what happened to them.

"When this is over," the Doctor said. "I'll try and get you home. And then I'll stop travelling. I won't put anyone else in danger ever again."

"No."

The Doctor looked up in shock at her two companions.

"No," repeated Ryan. "We're not going to leave you."

"But-" began the Doctor.

"Doc, you have shown us so much," Graham said. "So many amazing things. We've done things I'd have never thought possible thanks to you. I don't want to give that up."

"Same," said Ryan. "We're your friends Doctor. Friends forgive each other. I don't like what you did... but you didn't do it for a bad reason."

"You're not malicious," added Graham. "You made a mistake, but we're here for you. It was as I was saying to the child... you can't change the past. But you can learn from it. Grow from it. Be better because of it. We know you can get better after this. The universe needs you too much to give up now."

The Doctor said nothing, looking at her family. Two ordinary humans, nothing remarkable or notable about them, but capable of forgiveness in the face of such a sin...

"Thank you," the Doctor said, tears in her eyes. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"We're here for you Doc," Graham said. "You don't have to worry about losing us."

"But what are we going to do about the child?" Ryan asked.

"Well you know how you bonded with your child," Graham said slowly.

"No," the Doctor said. "You didn't Graham."

"A child was in pain, Doctor," Graham said. "What was I suppose to do? If Ryan is going to have to be trapped in an alternate universe... then I want to join him."

"But it's not going to come to that, is it Doctor?" Ryan asked. The Doctor said nothing, looking at the outline of the child holding Graham's hand.

"Is this true?" the Doctor asked.

"I have a new parent," the child said. "One who will love me and treat me properly. One I'm never going to leave. Daddy and I are going to play together forever." There was a flash, as the child's glowing form seemed to be sucked into the cube around Graham's next, and it was gone.

"Now what?" Graham asked, as they stood in the strangely quiet building.

"We go after the next child," the Doctor said. "Then I free you from those children. I take you home. I won't lose anyone else."

"Promise?" Ryan asked hopefully.

"Promise," lied the Doctor.


	42. The Children of Gallifrey - Episode Three

Doctor Who

The Children of Gallifrey

Episode Three

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"So where are we?" Graham asked, as the three of them stood around in the TARDIS.

"That's a difficult question to answer," the Doctor replied. "We're... we'll, we're nowhere."

"What do you mean nowhere?" Ryan asked.

"There is no space out there. There's no matter. There's nothing."

"There can't just be nothing," said Graham.

"There is when the Nowhere Child walks about."

"The what?" asked Ryan.

"A being with control over all of matter. If the Timeless Child can control time, and the Soulless Child can control life..."

"Then how do we stop it?" Graham asked.

"How do you stop nothing?" the Doctor countered. "The TARDIS' shields are currently holding, but we can't even go outside."

"How did we even get here then?" Ryan asked. "How did we arrive into nowhere?"

"I had the TARDIS jump between recent destinations," the Doctor replied. "This is currently the home-world of the Stenza. Or would be, if it still existed. And Cissism. And Mercer."

"This nothingness has destroyed all those planets?" Graham said in shock.

"More that it's just destroyed the entire galaxy," the Doctor replied. "It's spreading fast. Won't be long before it consumes Earth itself."

"Then what do we do?" Ryan said desperately. "Can we go outside?"

"There is no 'outside'," the Doctor said. "There's not even the void between universes. I don't think you're grasping at what 'nothing' truly is."

"So what do we do?" Graham asked hopelessly.

"I'm trying to hone on to the last bit of energy in this galaxy," the Doctor replied. "If we're lucky, that's where the child will be."

"And if we're not?"

"Then we're going to be stuck nowhere for the rest of time," the Doctor replied glumly. "Trapped in the TARDIS... forever."

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Ryan and Graham sat in the control room, restlessly trying to keep quiet. It had been hours since the Doctor had said anything to either of them, instead being solely focused on her TARDIS. This was nothing new, she'd often gotten absorbed in her work, but this...

"Do you think we're ever going to go back home?" Ryan asked.

"Of course," Graham said enthusiastically. "You can trust that the Doctor will get us back to Sheffield in no time."

"What about the children though?" Ryan asked, touching the softly cube around his neck.

"I'm sure she'll figure out a way of separating us from them," Graham said with a forced cheerfulness.

"You don't have to keep lying to me."

"Is it that obvious?"

A silence fell between the two, each trying to figure out the words that they wanted to say.

"If the Doctor can't free us," began Ryan, before pausing.

"Go on," Graham said encouragingly.

"If the Doctor can't free us," Ryan repeated, "and we're stuck in that alternate universe... I'm glad you'd be there for me."

"But of course son. While I have faith in the Doc, don't get me wrong... I couldn't bear you being abandoned again. I thought that if you were destined to end up in some sort of alternate universe then I might as well join you."

"Thanks granddad." Ryan smiled warmly at Graham, who returned it.

"Not that it matters though," Graham said. "The Doctor will figure something out. She hasn't let us down yet."

"Not that we remember," said Ryan, a tinge of bitterness to his voice.

"Got it!" the Doctor said eagerly, as she climbed down from the central pillar.

"What's the plan?" asked Ryan.

"I'm going to jettison a fourth of the TARDIS," the Doctor said excitedly.

"I'm sorry," began Graham.

"Don't worry, it's nothing important, that third pool was my least favourite anyway."

"But you're getting rid of a quarter of the TARDIS."

"Turning the mass into energy should propel us into the centre of this."

"Should?" asked Ryan.

"Either that or we blow up," the Doctor said with a shrug. "But we've got a thirteen percent chance."

"Of exploding?"

"Of this working. But thirteen has always been my lucky number. Hold on!" The Doctor grabbed a lever and pulled. The TARDIS suddenly lurched sideways, everyone grabbing onto the scenery to keep their balance. There was a screeching sound, as if the TARDIS herself was in pain.

"I know, I know," the Doctor said, as the console room shook like an over-loaded washing machine. "This must be like tearing an arm off, but I have to."

"I don't know how much more of this I can take," Graham began, before the shaking suddenly stopped. The TARDIS righted itself, going back to a gentle hum of standard procedures.

"Are we there?" Ryan asked.

"I hope so," the Doctor said, checking her instruments, before freezing.

"Doctor?" Graham asked cautiously.

"I've made a terrible mistake," the Doctor said. Before she could say more Ryan suddenly found the column he was supporting himself give way, as if it was just a ghost of its former self.

"Doctor," he began, as the console room slowly started to evaporate around them, flaking away into pieces of dust.

"I know," the Doctor said urgently, as she tried to press buttons on the console, her hands going through them half the time.

"What's happening?" Graham asked, as he stumbled when the step he was on disappeared.

"The massive power surges shorted out the shields," the Doctor said. "And there's nothing stopping the anti-matter from ripping apart everything in here."

"Shouldn't there be some sort of explosion then?" Graham asked, half-remembering a documentary he'd seen about it.

"You're right," the Doctor said. "We should have been annihilated in an instance... Show yourself!"

"What?" said Graham.

"Not you," said the Doctor. "The child. The only reason we're not dead yet is because it's slowly tearing us apart. It probably thinks we're some sort of toy or plaything."

"Hello," said a small, nervous voice. The three travellers turned to see a small child standing in the doorway, awkwardly shifting.

"Stop what you're doing to my TARDIS," the Doctor demanded.

"I don't know how," the child admitted. "I don't like that this happens when I'm around. I don't want to hurt people."

"You have to do something," the Doctor said. "You're going to kill us."

"It's out of my control. I couldn't stop this any more then you could stop breathing."

"Get into this cube then," the Doctor said, holding up the cube around her neck.

"No," the child replied. "I don't want to be trapped again."

"I'm not mucking around. Get in this cube."

"No."

"Do it or else."

"Or else what?"

"You don't want to make me mad. No one survives for long when I'm mad against them."

"Doc," warned Graham, but the Doctor ignored him. Instead she pointed her screwdriver at the console.

"If you don't stop I turn off the anti-matter generator shields and flood this console room," she said. "Massive explosion. Not even you are capable of withstanding such a blast. Now get into my cube."

"You wouldn't," said the child.

"Wouldn't I?"

"You'd kill your friends."

"We're dead anyway. This way will be quicker. Now get into the cube."

"Shan't."

"Get into the cube you little-"

"Doctor!" Ryan said.

"What?"

"This... this isn't you Doctor. You're not like this. You're better than this."

"I don't have a choice Ryan. I either capture this thing, or I kill it. Those are the only two options."

"There must be another way," Graham asked.

"If we had time I'd find one. But in a few minutes there isn't going to be anything left of any of us. At least this way there'd only be one child left."

"But-"

"This isn't a debate. This isn't a discussion. The fact is that it's either us or them. These abominations don't deserve to live. I made a mistake of letting them live before. I need to rectify that."

"You're going to kill them?" Ryan asked in shock.

"I was always going to kill them. You've seen how powerful they are."

"You said you were going to put them in their own little universe?"

"That was a lie Ryan. I was going to destroy them once and for all."

"That's not what the Doctor does," said Graham.

"No, this is exactly what the Doctor does. The Doctor sometimes has to make the tough choice, do the immoral thing, if it's for the greater good. I can't sacrifice an entire universe for a bunch of monsters."

"They're just children."

"Not any more!"

"I won't let you do this," Ryan said, as he moved closer to the Doctor. "I won't let you kill this kid."

"It's us or them."

"No, Doc," Graham said. "It's just us. We have to decide what's right and what's wrong. Killing children, no matter how you justify it... it's wrong."

"Don't make me fight you off," the Doctor said reluctantly, hand still on screwdriver.

"You won't do that," Ryan said.

"Because that's not what the Doc does," added Graham, as the two of them stood next to the Doctor, holding out their hands. The Doctor looked at the two of them, two stupid humans who thought that being good was more important the entire universe.

But then again what was the point of saving a universe if it meant being a monster? She'd made a promise when she took her name, and if it was going to kill her, so be it.

Slowly she moved away from the console, putting the screwdriver back in her pocket.

"Thank you," she said. "But I don't know what we're going to do."

"Maybe I can help," said a voice. The three looked to see a ball of light leave the TARDIS, morphing into the shape of a woman all too familiar to the Doctor.

"Idris?" the Doctor said in shock.

"Who?"

"The TARDIS once inhabited her body, long story." She turned to the golden figure in front of her. "I thought you were gone forever."

"Oh my silly thief," Idris said with a smile. "I can never leave you."

"I'm sorry what's happening," the Doctor said. "I'm sorry for what I did to you. What I jettisoned."

"Don't worry," Idris said with a smile. "It was my least favourite pool." The Doctor smiled back at her wife, glad that she was here at this last moment.

"Little one," Idris said, the glowing form slowly moving over towards the Nowhere Child. "Look at me."

The child squinted up at the glowing figure in front of it.

"You want infinity?" Idris asked. "You want to be able to live in comfort? To be able to spread out your essence and never have to worry about hurting anyone?"

The child nodded eagerly.

"Come here then," Idris said, holding out her arms. The child ran into the waiting hug, a golden glow enveloping the both of them until they were gone. All that remained was a single cube, glowing in the darkness.

The lights of the ship turned back on, the hum resumed, and everything felt a lot more solid than it had before.

"Doctor," began Ryan.

"She sacrificed herself," the Doctor said. "The TARDIS, she brought the Nowhere Child into herself, to contain it. She did what you two did."

"Is that any shock?" asked Graham. "Of course we're going to do what we can to help others. It's what we do."

"I know, but..." the Doctor trailed off, going back to looking at the console. "Space has returned to normal, and we have some time before the Nowhere Child threatens to overwhelm the TARDIS. She may be infinite, but the Nowhere Child isn't aware of just how powerful it is."

"So what's left to do?" asked Ryan.

"We capture the Nightmare Child," the Doctor said. "Then we work out how to get these children out of you lot and somewhere else."

"Are you going to kill them?" Graham asked in concern.

"No," the Doctor said. "No, you're right, killing isn't what I do. I can try to trap them. But we still need to deal with the last child."

"Let's go get it then," said Ryan.

"I'm glad you're here," the Doctor said reassuringly. "But..."

"But?"

"The Nightmare Child is on Earth. And given how long its been there, I don't know how much of Earth is going to be left at this point. No matter what we do, I don't think it's ever going to be able to be put back together ever again."


	43. The Children of Gallifrey - Episode Four

Doctor Who

The Children of Gallifrey

Episode Four

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"Where are we?" Ryan asked, trying to peer around at their surroundings.

"We're in London," the Doctor replied grimly.

There was a horrific shriek somewhere in the distance. A scream, cut worryingly short. Constant cries of pain and woe echoed across the cobblestones.

"What's happened to it?" Graham asked, as the chilly night air surrounded them.

"Nine million people all experiencing their worst nightmares," the Doctor said. "Nine million monsters, free to wreck havoc. It's spreading as well. London is just the epicentre, soon the entire planet will be engulfed in fear. Every moment that passes the Nightmare Child gets a little stronger."

"Your people created this child, yeah?" Ryan asked, as they followed the Doctor down the streets, trying to ignore the monsters that were stalking all around them.

"Yes," the Doctor said. "Fear, the one universal constant in the universe. Almost every living being feels it. Almost every living being has some sort of survival instinct, buried deep, that reacts when it is threatened. The child taps into it and brings it to life. Hard to have an army advance when they're desperately trying to run away."

"But why did your people create these children?" Ryan continued.

"Why did your race create the atomic bomb?"

Ryan and Graham said nothing, digesting this new information.

"Pay no attention to what's going on around you," the Doctor said. "The Nightmare Child feeds off fear. The cubes, they should make us invisible to them, but if you start to react to them they'll have power over you."

"Easier said than done," said Graham, as the bee the size of a husky crawled passed him.

"Just focus on your memories," the Doctor said. "On the good times in your life. The things that made you happy."

"Like how Harry Potter fought against the Dementors?" Ryan asked.

"Sure, let's go with that," the Doctor replied, as they crept forward. "Anyway, if I know the Nightmare Child, there's one place they'll want to be."

"Where's that?"

"The place that has inspired more fear than anywhere else in history."

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"The Tower of London?" Ryan asked, somewhat baffled.

"All the horrible acts that have been committed here... they stained the building. Gave it low-level traumatic psychic energy. The Nightmare Child can feed off of it."

"So how do we get in Doc?" Graham replied.

"Let's try the front door," the Doctor said. "Never hurts to be polite."

Suddenly there was a crackling of thunder that sounded eerily like a child's laughter.

"Come in, come in," said a disembodied voice, that appeared to be coming directly behind their right ear, even though no one was there.

"I'm going to need to trap this child," the Doctor whispered. "But remember, whatever happens, hold onto your good memories. Hold onto your dreams."

"How quaint," the child said. "Let's see how well that holds up." Suddenly there was a flash of light, and the Doctor found herself standing in the middle of the Tower, all alone.

"Where are my companions," the Doctor demanded.

"Seeing how useful your advice is," the child sneered. "Let's just hope they have the willpower to survive."

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Ryan stumbled as the world around him changed, to find himself...

"Where am I?" he asked, as he tried to figure out where he was. It was a church of some sort. There were people in the pews, all dressed in black. And at the front of the church...

"Dearly beloved," said a priest. "We are gathered here to mourn the passing of Graham O'Brien."

"No!" Ryan said, running up to the casket. Inside lay his grandfather, deathly white, no life left into him.

"Wake up," Ryan said, shaking his grandfather's prone body. "Please, Granddad, wake up."

"Graham was a good man," the priest said, seemingly ignoring the interruption. "A humble man. A man that always tried to do the right thing, no matter what. Even when it got him killed."

"What?" said Ryan, turning his attention back to the priest.

"Oh yes. He nobly gave his life so his ungrateful grandson could live. He didn't really want to travel in the TARDIS, no, he wanted to stay safe. But his grandson went ahead and travelled, so Graham tagged along. Why, some of us might say that Ryan is the reason that dear Graham is dead."

"No," said Ryan. "That's not true."

"I mean Ryan already got his beloved mother killed after touching that strange alien device in the woods. If only he hadn't thrown his bike away, Grace would still be with us now, living her best life."

"No," said Ryan again. "That's not my fault."

"And then there was that tribe back in New Zealand. All those happy, smiling, joyful children. Their lives smothered by ash and flame. If only someone had the heart to warn them, to protect them, to help them. But that's Ryan for you."

"Stop it," said Ryan, slumping to the floor, his head in his hands.

"How many lives have you ruined? How many worlds have you destroyed? How much misery and despair have you spread across this entire universe?"

Around him fire sprang up, as the whole church seemed to burn and melt around him, as piles of coffins stretched out as far as the eye can see.

"Ryan Sinclair, destroyer of worlds and of souls. He doesn't care, he isn't interested, he just runs away from all his problems like a coward. So congratulations, Ryan. Congratulations on dooming us all!"

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"Stop it!" the Doctor said angrily, forced to helplessly watch her friend suffer.

"My my, such a lot of responsibility this one puts on himself," the child said. "Clearly he's learned a lot from you. That's what you do to people, Doctor. They feel as if they're just as responsible as you are. Honestly no wonder everyone ends up having to leave you. What you do to them... it's horrific."

"I will stop you," the Doctor said.

"You easily could," the Nightmare Child taunted. "You could suck me into your little cube, allowing me to take as many souls as I please along the way. I don't mind living in that thing if I get to torture your friends, your precious little species, for as long as I want. By all means do it Doctor. I'll enjoy having fun."

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Graham woke up in the hospital bed, his head throbbing. Slowly he turned his head, squinting against the light, trying to work out what was going on.

"I'm afraid there isn't much we can do," the nurse said. A familiar voice. Where had he heard that voice?

"Well how long has he got?" Ryan asked. Ryan was here. That was a relief.

"We can't say for certain," the nurse replied. Again, that voice. Who was it? "But you're going to have to look after him."

"That's fine," Ryan said. "He's been there for me."

"Bear in mind you're going to have to wait on him hand and foot. You'll never get to have your own life because you'll have to look after him. You'll be trapped with him."

"I don't care," said Ryan.

"I do," said Graham. "What's going on."

Finally the nurse came into view. No wonder he recognized the voice.

"Grace," he breathed, unable to believe what he was seeing. Clearly this must be some sort of cruel trick.

"Good to see you're awake," Grace said. "Mister O'Brien, the cancer has come back and... well, the important thing is that you're alive."

Graham got up to move, but found he couldn't. His body refused to co-operate.

"We managed to remove it, but... I'm sorry, but you're a paraplegic."

"What?"

"You'll be unable to move anything but your head. I'm sorry, it was the only thing we could do to save your life."

"It's okay though," said Ryan, picking up Graham's hand. Why couldn't he feel Ryan's hand in his own? "I'll be here for you."

"No," said Graham, tears welling up.

"I don't mind giving everything up for you. I'll go back to the factory. I'll work double time, triple time, to help support you."

"No," repeated Graham, wanting to do something, anything, but unable to move.

"I'll be here for you Graham. I told the Doctor, she understands, she'll leave us alone. I will never do anything with my life except care for you as long as you live. I'll give up my hopes and dreams for you, my aspirations and desires, I'll dedicate my life solely to you."

"That's not what I want," Graham said. "I want you to have your own life. Not stuck with me. Not trapped with me."

"Stop pretending," said Grace. "You love this, really. Ryan will finally be safe. He'll be unable to do anything but stay by your side. You'll be able to have control over him."

"That's not what I want!" Graham said angrily.

"Isn't it? You never wanted him to travel with the Doctor. You were constantly worried about his safety. Now you've got exactly what you always needed. Now you got everything you ever wanted. This is a dream scenario for you."

"This is a nightmare," Graham said. He tried to struggle, but he couldn't move. All he could hear was Grace's laughing, her cruel, mocking laughter, as he struggled to do anything. Trapped, wasting away, with Ryan unable to do anything. Forever.

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"How dare you," snarled the Doctor, wanting to strangle the child.

"You know, I wouldn't have thought that for Graham, but here we go."

"I'll kill you," the Doctor stated. The emotion had drained from her. Now she was just a cold fury, a burning star of hatred.

"I don't doubt it," the child said. "I look forward to it. Won't help them though. All of your companions, across all of time... they will suffer, feel pain you can't even imagine, for what you did to me."

"Why are you doing this?"

"I'm just doing what I was created for. Now, let's see, how is your third companion doing. The one you forgot. What do you think her greatest fear is, hmm?"

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Yaz sat in her kitchen, cup of tea in hand. She wasn't scared, not any more. She'd accepted what had happened. For some reason no one seemed to acknowledge her existence. Her family didn't see her, didn't notice her. Anything she did, they managed to rationalize away.

The same was true for everyone she'd come across in Sheffield. Just nothing but cold ignorance. It was as if she didn't exist, she didn't even matter. It was like the Silence virus had attacked her again, but now, there was no church to look after her. On a planet of eight billion people, she was truly alone.

There was always one thing she could do though. One way she could free herself from the pain. It was something she was considering a lot these days. One way that she could finally stop any of this from hurting her ever again.

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"So that's what she fears most of all," the child said in amusement. "Funny how you were the one that caused it to happen. I must say, I'm impressed, and I'm the literal embodiment of fear."

"I hate you," the Doctor stated plainly.

"Yes, yes," the child said dismissively. "See, Doctor, this is your greatest fear. I could torture you for an eternity, come up with all sorts of horrific fears to break your mind. Daleks, Cybermen, hell even the Quarks can be terrifying if used effectively enough. I may eventually wear you out, have you be a shell of your former self. But this... this is far, far more effective. All their suffering, all their pain, all caused by you. A poison upon their lives for which there is no antidote. How does it feel, Doctor? To be the greatest monster of them all?"

The Doctor said nothing. There was nothing the Doctor could really say, to be honest. The Nightmare Child was right. The Doctor was a monster, a destructive force of evil. The Doctor had caused all this to happen. It would be better if the Doctor didn't exist at all.

So maybe the Doctor shouldn't exist any more? That promise, that creed, maybe it should die, making way for a new person. Someone who could fight against this Nightmare Child, who could press the button and remove it from the universe at the cost of a single, insignificant planet. Someone who could do the right thing.

The Doctor had to die. The Doctor had to be killed. For the good of all. To save the entire universe, the Doctor had to be no more.


	44. The Children of Gallifrey - Episode Five

Doctor Who

The Children of Gallifrey

Episode Five

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Yaz had gotten use to her life of being unnoticed by all around her. Well, as use as one could get, all things considered. There was some element of joy, of being free from consequences. She could do whatever she wanted and no one would bat an eyelid. An entire planet where she had no downsides or regrets for her actions. She was free to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted, and no one in the world could stop her.

So she put on her uniform. She went into the police station. She examined the cases and determined which ones would best suit her particular set of skills.

A policewoman couldn't normally walk into the middle of a drug bust, slap handcuffs on everyone, then wait for the note they left in the police station to be read for the baddies to be arrested.

A policewoman couldn't normally walk into suspects homes when searching for a missing child, find said child, and carry them back home to their parents without anyone trying to stop them.

A policewoman couldn't normally follow a group of thieves back to their hideout, take all the money they had stolen, and return it back to the bank in an event that even the newspapers struggled to explain.

But Yaz wasn't a normal policewoman. She was a ghost amongst the living, able to do things that others would find impossible.

There were no consequences for her actions, no reason why she shouldn't do what she wanted. She had freedom to choose to do anything. So why not choose to be kind? It's what the Doctor would have done.

It seemed like a normal day, until a child suddenly appeared. It wasn't a normal child. It glowed with a sort of strange light. In its hand it held a strange little cube thing. Yaz took it, putting the strange pendant around her neck like the child indicated.

Suddenly she wasn't in Sheffield. She was somewhere completely different. In front of her stood the Doctor, frozen in fear and pain. Next to her was a child, shining with a different type of light, a sort of dark, blackish light. Graham and Ryan were also there, their faces twisted in terror, tears silently rolling down their still faces.

This child... it was the cause of all the suffering. Yaz could tell. Something in her was telling that this child was what was hurting her friends. She could do something. The consequences would be dire, she knew that, but it was the right thing to do.

"Go on, Doctor," sneered the Nightmare Child. "Get rid of your promise. Become the monster I know you can be. Become my servant, so I may travel the universe and ensnare it in my grasp."

"No," said Yaz. The child turned, confused.

"How did you escape?" the child asked, before noting the cube around the woman's neck. It let out a chortle.

"You really think you can trap me?" it said. "You, a puny little human?"

"Yes," Yaz replied, holding the cube in front of her.

"You do realize that, if you trap me, I will make every moment of your life unending suffering?"

"Yes."

"You will know only misery and pain? Fear that you can't even begin to comprehend? Nothing but agony for the rest of time?"

"Yes."

"And no one will ever know. No one will ever be aware of your sacrifice. You'll be suffering without recognition, without acknowledgement, without thanks."

"Yes."

"Why? If you are going to trap me, before I go, I just need to know... why?"

"Because it's the right thing to do."

"But your act of heroism will go unnoticed. No one will ever realize. No one will ever care. You'll suffer for eternity, and the universe will move on, never realizing what you did for it. No one will ever know."

"I'll know," Yaz replied. "And that's good enough for me."

She closed her eyes and concentrated. She felt as she was holding a powerful vacuum, as a scream rang out that seemed to split the very stars, before suddenly...

"Yaz," the Doctor said carefully. Yaz opened her eyes to see the Doctor standing there, shaken, but mobile. Graham and Ryan seemed to be doing the same.

"Yaz, what did you do?" the Doctor said.

"I trapped it," Yaz said, holding up her cube. "In here. The child is in this cube. I don't know how I knew to do it, but I did."

The Doctor shifted her eyes to a little child standing a little bit behind Yaz. The Timeless Child.

"You told her, didn't you?"

"Yes, father," said the child. "I've been guiding you this entire time. I can't let my siblings destroy this universe."

"Thank you," said the Doctor. "But... you know what happens next."

"Yes," the child said. "It's time for us to move on." The child waved its hands, and everything changed.

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The four of them stood in front of a gawping maw, a chasm of a split in the universe. A sliver of something else, something not found here. Behind them the TARDIS waited, patiently, as they looked down into the inky depths.

"What's down there, Doctor?" Yaz asked.

"It's a tear in the universe," the Doctor said. "It's a gateway from this universe to another. Much like the Solitract. If we put the children of Gallifrey in here they'll be free to run around and do whatever they want. They won't be able to get back into our universe."

"Are we sure we should leave them unsupervised?" Graham asked. "Could lead to them getting out again."

"They won't be unsupervised," the Doctor replied. "I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry... but I can't separate the children from you. You are now, and forever will be, the children. They are a part of your essence, your being, your existence."

Her three companions said nothing, looking back into the giant scar.

"The TARDIS is, as well," the Doctor said. "It absorbed a child. I would need to put it in there with you lot."

"What about the last child?" Ryan asked, talking to the small child standing next to the Doctor.

"It would have to go in alone I suppose," the Doctor said.

"I don't want to leave you father," the child replied.

"I have no choice."

"Yes you do. Don't you remember, Doctor? Currently two of you exist. Two of all of you exist. There is another set of you flying around in the universe."

"Hey that's right," said Ryan. "That's what the Paradox child told us."

"I know you don't want to go because you think you'll leave the universe in danger," said the Timeless Child. "But you won't. There'll be another you out there, keeping it safe, going on adventures."

The Doctor said nothing, biting her lip. Her continued existence in this universe would only worse the paradox, straining the web of time with each passing moment.

"But if we all go in there," the child said. "We could create our own universe."

"What?" said the three humans, unable to comprehend what they'd just heard.

"You all have the building blocks to create whatever you want. You could recreate the universe exactly how it was, then forget it ever happened. Or you could make a better one. A happier one. Your power is endless. In return, this universe is safe. It continues on. The other versions of you continue their existence."

"But we'd resign ourselves to living a half-existence," the Doctor said. "Us, the real us, would no longer exist, replaced by our inferior duplicates."

"Better than there not being a universe at all," the Timeless Child said.

"I like this idea," said Yaz, causing the others to turn around in surprise. "I mean it's a win win, right? We get to do our own thing, and our families get to have a version of us around and don't realize we're missing."

"Yeah, now that you put it like that," said Ryan.

"It does sound rather nice," concluded Graham.

"It'd be nice if you joined us," said Yaz, holding out her hand to the Doctor.

"Yeah," said Ryan, his hand outreached. "Keeping the fam together."

"You could help us, you know," added Graham, also extending his hand towards his friend. "Guide us. Make sure we do it right."

The Doctor stood silently, weighing up her decisions. The humans... they didn't really understand what it meant, to hop from one universe to the next. They didn't understand what it'd be like to resign oneself away to another universe, to never truly fit in. No matter what happened, the Doctor knew she wouldn't be the Doctor, not in a true sense. She'd be a version of the Doctor, a duplicate, off doing her own thing.

But then again hadn't she already made the same choice, all those lifetimes ago, on a beach in an alternate universe. Hadn't she already done all this before? If that other self could have done it, couldn't she?

"You realize that there's no going back," the Doctor said cautiously.

"When have you ever been one to look back?" Yaz replied, causing the Doctor to break into a smile. Once again, Yaz knew the Doctor so well.

"Into the TARDIS then," she said, opening the doors and funnelling them all inside. She turned back, seeing the Timeless Child stand on the edge.

The Doctor got down on her knees and held out her arms. The child looked at her hesitatingly, cautiously, before sprinting forward and diving into them. Holding her tight, the child cried into her shoulder, before merging with the Doctor. The Doctor stood up, the light of the energy still swirling around her.

"Are you ready?" she asked, as she made her way over to the console, putting a hand on the lever.

"Always," said Graham, placing his hand on the lever.

"We're right by your side," said Ryan, following suit.

"We'll never leave you again," concluded Yaz, her hand on top of the Doctor's. The four friends smiled at each other, pulled the lever, and were never seen in the universe again.


End file.
